RIYADH: The aviation sector, rebounding now after the pandemic, will deliver SR280 billion ($75 billion) to Saudi Arabia’s national Gross Domestic Product by 2030, said Faisal Al-Ibrahim, minister of economy.
While speaking at the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh on May 10, the minister noted that the pandemic resulted in a loss of $52 billion to the aviation sector.
The minister added that Saudi Arabia is aiming to host 330 million passengers by 2030.
To achieve this, two aviation hubs will be created in Jeddah and Riyadh with a capacity of 2 million tons of cargo.
Al-Ibrahim also revealed that Jeddah to Cairo was the busiest route in terms of international flights, while Riyadh to Jeddah was the busiest domestic route.
He added that the Kingdom expects economic growth of 7.6 percent in 2022 — the fastest in the Gulf Cooperation Council.