The decision by Saudi Arabia to further reopen borders and resume international air connectivity has been welcomed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The kingdom has opened up its doors once again to tourists and removed quarantine for vaccinated travellers. Saudi has also expanded the facilitation of religious traffic to the holy cities and reinstated visa processing for international passengers; while systems and health measures across all airports have been enhanced.
“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. Saudi Arabia recognises aviation as a catalyst for economic growth and modernisation, and we are pleased to see the kingdom’s continued prioritisation of aviation as a key to achieving Vision 2030,” said Kamil Al Awadhi, IATA’s regional vice president for Africa and Middle East.
“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.”
Earlier this month it was revealed that Saudi Arabia had become one of the first countries in the world to accept the IATA Travel Pass.
The pass, which is used to confirm pre-departure Covid-19 test results for departing and arriving passengers, will be available in the kingdom from September 30 following official acceptance from the country’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).
In 2019, a total 977,000 jobs and SAR240 billion ($64bn) of GDP were supported by aviation in Saudi. The crisis has put 361,000 of those jobs and SAR85bn ($22.7bn) at risk, with passenger demand not expected to return to 2019 levels before 2024.
“Prior to the pandemic, Saudi Arabia was one of the most connected countries regionally and internationally in the Middle East. The impact of the crisis has been significant, with a 96 percent fall in connectivity compared to before the pandemic. The recent measures to open borders and ease travel restrictions are essential to restoring Saudi Arabia’s connectivity as well as realising the kingdom’s Vision 2030”, added Alawadhi.
“We continue to call on governments, including the government of Saudi Arabia, to remove all travel barriers to help restore demand and revive the travel and tourism sectors that countries greatly depend on for their economies.”
Follow us on
