Saudi Arabia Hosts Int’l Conference to Improve Traveler Experience

Group photo of officials during the Airports Council International Conference (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Group photo of officials during the Airports Council International Conference (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Hosts Int’l Conference to Improve Traveler Experience

Group photo of officials during the Airports Council International Conference (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Group photo of officials during the Airports Council International Conference (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Officials and investors in the airport industry developed innovative strategies to facilitate the traveler’s experience, during the Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific & Middle East / ACI World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition (WAGA 2024), which kicked off in Riyadh on Wednesday.

The three-day event, hosted by Riyadh Airports, features the participation of aviation leaders, airport CEOs, and over 800 specialists from across the globe. This is the first time WAGA is being held in the Middle East, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s pivotal role in airport management and aviation.

The head of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, said on the occasion that Saudi Arabia is anticipating the future of aviation through its endeavor to host major events related to the industry, and is implementing a clear vision to lead the Middle East region at the level of logistical services.

He added that the Airports Council International conference represents a tremendous opportunity for the system in Saudi Arabia, by providing a basic foundation for benefiting from industry leaders and keeping pace with the latest developments in the field of aviation locally and globally.

For his part, the CEO of Riyadh Airports, Ayman Abo Abah, announced that his company is working with the relevant authorities to promote the reliance on clean energy sources, pointing in this context to progress achieved at King Khalid International Airport.

Riyadh Airports was established in 2016 as part of the sector privatization program. The company manages and operates King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and seeks to develop the airport’s infrastructure and conduct expansion projects for new services and facilities.

Abo Abah explained that King Khalid International Airport has received the global accreditation certificate for managing carbon emissions for airports (level three) from the Airport Carbon Emissions Management Accreditation Program (ACA), making it the first airport in the Kingdom and the Middle East to obtain this certificate.

This confirms the implementation of the necessary standards and practices to reduce emissions and launch green initiatives that support this trend, he underlined.

Riyadh Airports’ hosting of WAGA 2024 coincides with the third edition of the Future Aviation Forum (FAF 2024), organized by GACA.

Wednesday’s sessions addressed the current state of the industry and the system’s future trends, emphasizing the importance of taking into account environmental sustainability and working to remove carbon in new, innovative ways.



Oil Up as Israel, Hezbollah Trade Accusations of Ceasefire Violation

FILE - An aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, makes an appearance over pumpjacks as they draw out oil and gas from well heads near Cremona, Alberta, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
FILE - An aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, makes an appearance over pumpjacks as they draw out oil and gas from well heads near Cremona, Alberta, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
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Oil Up as Israel, Hezbollah Trade Accusations of Ceasefire Violation

FILE - An aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, makes an appearance over pumpjacks as they draw out oil and gas from well heads near Cremona, Alberta, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
FILE - An aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, makes an appearance over pumpjacks as they draw out oil and gas from well heads near Cremona, Alberta, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

Oil prices ticked up on Thursday after Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah traded accusations that their ceasefire had been violated, and as Israeli tanks fired on south Lebanon.

OPEC+ also delayed by a few days a meeting likely to extend production cuts.

Brent crude futures edged up by 30 cents, or 0.4%, to $73.13 a barrel by 1741 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 23 cents, 0.3%, at $68.93. Trading was thin because of the US Thanksgiving holiday, Reuters reported.
Israel's military said the ceasefire was violated after what it called suspects, some in vehicles, arrived at several areas in the southern zone.
The deal, which took effect on Wednesday, was intended to allow people in both countries to start returning to homes in border areas shattered by 14 months of fighting.
The Middle East is one of the world's major oil-producing regions, and while the ongoing conflict has not so far not impacted supply it has been reflected in a risk premium for traders.
Elsewhere, OPEC+, comprising the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, delayed its next policy meeting to Dec. 5 from Dec. 1 to avoid a conflict with another event.
Also supporting prices, OPEC+ sources have said there will again be discussion over another delay to an oil output increase scheduled for January.
"It's highly unlikely they are going to announce an increase production at this meeting," said Rory Johnston, analyst at Commodity Context.
The group pumps about half the world's oil but has maintained production cuts to support prices. It hopes to unwind those cuts, but weak global demand has forced it to delay the start of gradual increases.
A further delay has mostly been factored in to oil prices already, said Suvro Sarkar at DBS Bank. "The only question is whether it's a one-month pushback, or three, or even longer."
Depressing prices slightly, US gasoline stocks rose 3.3 million barrels in the week ending Nov. 22, the US Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday, countering expectations of a small draw in fuel stocks ahead of holiday travel.
Slowing fuel demand growth in top consumers China and the US has weighed on oil prices this year.