Arab News, Thursday, Aug 26, 2021 | Muharram 18, 1443
Saudi restoration of international connectivity is key for saving jobs, GDP losses: IATA
Saudi Arabia:
The International Air
Transport Association (IATA) welcomed measures taken by Saudi Arabia to revive
the aviation industry as it battles to save more than a quarter of a million
related jobs in the Kingdom amid a downturn in travel due to the pandemic.
In 2019, Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector supported
977,000 jobs and SR240 billion ($64 billion) of GDP, IATA said in a statement.
The pandemic has put 361,000 of those jobs and SR85 billion of GDP at risk,
while passenger demand is not expected to return to 2019 levels before 2024, it
said.
The measures Saudi Arabia has taken include:
opening up the Kingdom for tourists; removing quarantine for vaccinated
travelers; expanding the facilitation of religious traffic to the holy cities;
reinstating visa processing for international passengers; enhancing systems and
health measures across all airports.
“We welcome the recent steps taken by the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia to restore air travel and enhance the passenger experience
during a challenging time for aviation,” said Kamil Al Awadhi, IATA’s regional
vice president for Africa and Middle East. “Saudi Arabia recognizes aviation as
a catalyst for economic growth and modernization, and we are pleased to see the
Kingdom’s continued prioritization of aviation as a key to achieving Vision
2030.”
“After more than one year of border closures, the
kick-off of the National Aviation Strategy will bring to life plans to triple
the number of passengers to the Kingdom and fly to 250 destinations,” he said.