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Boeing: Saudi Arabia Aims to Cement Role as Aviation Hub

Boeing 737 aircraft (Company handout)
Boeing 737 aircraft (Company handout)
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Boeing: Saudi Arabia Aims to Cement Role as Aviation Hub

Boeing 737 aircraft (Company handout)
Boeing 737 aircraft (Company handout)

Saudi Arabia is rapidly establishing itself as a leading regional hub in the global aviation industry, propelled by record passenger growth, historic aircraft orders, and major infrastructure projects aligned with the kingdom’s National Transformation Program, according to Asaad AlJomoai, president of Boeing Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, AlJomoai said recent orders from Riyadh Air and Saudia for a combined 121 Boeing 787 Dreamliners underscore the kingdom’s determination to build a world-class air transport sector.

He described Riyadh Air as a “strategic pillar” in Saudi Arabia’s broader aviation expansion plans.

The orders add to a growing fleet of 240 Boeing aircraft already in operation across the country. Among them is a deal by AviLease — owned by the Public Investment Fund — to purchase 20 Boeing 737-8 jets, with options for 10 more. The transaction makes AviLease the first Saudi firm to acquire this model.

These aircraft directly support Saudi Arabia’s sustainability and connectivity goals, AlJomoai said, adding that the kingdom aims to connect to over 100 destinations by 2030.

The expansion coincides with landmark projects such as King Salman International Airport and the integrated Riyadh region development.

Driving Transformation in Aviation

Saudi Arabia is undergoing a sweeping transformation in aviation, AlJomoai said, driven by investment in local talent, skill development, and advanced manufacturing capabilities. The goal, he added, is to enable a new generation of Saudis to lead the industry’s future.

Boeing anticipates regional demand for 250,000 aviation professionals over the next 20 years, including 68,000 pilots, 63,000 technicians, and 104,000 cabin crew members. AlJomoai said the company is committed to training and equipping Saudi nationals with essential skills through advanced education and training programs.

Innovation and Tech Partnerships

Boeing is also focusing on innovation, digital transformation, and advanced technologies to help achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, AlJomoai said, highlighting ongoing academic and industrial partnerships.

Among its flagship initiatives is “Pick Up Your Wings and Fly,” a regional program aimed at inspiring Saudi women to enter the aviation industry by sharing real-life success stories. The campaign is run in collaboration with Alfaisal University, Boeing’s academic partner.

Through this partnership, Boeing supports student-led engineering projects, such as the design of a solar-powered vehicle for international competitions. The company also works with Princess Nourah University to promote STEM education and open doors for Saudi women in science and aerospace.

Boeing continues its 15-year collaboration with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) on advanced research in artificial intelligence, new materials, computational modeling, solar energy, and industrial water treatment — all part of the kingdom’s ambition to become a global hub for innovation and R&D.

Supporting Defense and Local Industry

On the industrial front, Boeing is working with Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) to strengthen local capabilities in maintenance and support for military helicopters. The company is also exploring opportunities in advanced aviation materials manufacturing — including metals, plastics, and resins — in partnership with the Ministry of Investment, aiming to establish an integrated local supply chain.

A Longstanding Relationship

AlJomoai noted the strong historic ties between Boeing and Saudi Arabia, dating back more than 80 years to the delivery of the first DC-3 aircraft in the 1940s. The partnership was spotlighted during US President Donald Trump’s visit to the kingdom, reflecting deep-rooted economic, security, and technological cooperation between Riyadh and Washington.

Last year’s landmark Dreamliner order stands as a testament to the enduring strategic alignment between Boeing and Saudi Arabia.

Looking ahead, AlJomoai said Boeing remains committed to supporting Vision 2030, particularly efforts to diversify the economy, empower young talent, and position Saudi Arabia as a global hub for connectivity and innovation.

 

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Business

US Says it Will Not Hit Iran Energy Sector

FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright attend a roundtable on the Ratepayer Protection Pledge in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington, D.C., US, March 4, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright attend a roundtable on the Ratepayer Protection Pledge in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington, D.C., US, March 4, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
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US Says it Will Not Hit Iran Energy Sector

FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright attend a roundtable on the Ratepayer Protection Pledge in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington, D.C., US, March 4, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright attend a roundtable on the Ratepayer Protection Pledge in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington, D.C., US, March 4, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo

The United States will spare Iran's energy infrastructure as it wages war with Israel against Tehran, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday.

With oil prices rising dramatically, he told CNN that disruptions to the petroleum and gas industry will be short lived -- "worst case, that's a few weeks. That's not months."

Israel attacked oil storage facilities Saturday in and around Tehran, sparking huge fires in the first such attacks reported since the war started last weekend. Wright seemed to downplay them.

"These are Israeli strikes, these are local fuel depots to fill up the gas tank," Wright said.

He added: "The US is targeting zero energy infrastructure. There are no plans to target Iran's oil industry, their natural gas industry, or anything about their energy industry."

The war has all but shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20 percent of the world's crude oil and about 20 percent of liquefied natural gas usually transit.

Energy markets have been roiled by this disruption and oil prices shot up. West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark for oil, rose 12 percent just on Friday and is up 36 percent in a week.

"They shouldn't go much higher than they are here because the world is very well supplied with oil," Wright told CBS. "There's no energy shortage in all of the Western hemisphere."

US insurer AAA said US gasoline prices at the pump have gone up 16 percent in a week and diesel by 22 percent.

The website GasBuddy says diesel fuel, used extensively in trucking, had not been this expensive since February 2023.

Gasoline prices are closely watched in this country where cars are king and they could become a factor as America heads toward mid-term elections in November. Trump's approval rating was low even before the war.

"What you're seeing is emotional reactions and fear that this is a long term war," Wright said on CBS, according to AFP. "This is not a long-term war."

He said the United States is now talking with shipping companies eager to get their vessels out of the Gulf.

"Early tankers probably will involve some direct protection by the US military" to get through the Strait of Hormuz, he said, adding that he thinks traffic will return to normal "relatively soon."

Iran accounts for about four percent of world oil production, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Its oil industry is subject to international sanctions but some is still exported, mainly to China, oil industry data shows.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday the government was considering lifting sanctions on more Russian oil, a day after it temporarily authorized India to buy from Moscow as global oil prices surged.

The US International Development Finance Corporation also said Friday it is creating a reinsurance mechanism of up to $20 billion to cover risk associated with travel through the Strait of Hormuz.

Business

Iraqi Oil Production Collapses as Hormuz Still Blocked by US-Iran War, Sources Say

Pumping station at the end of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Schwedt, Germany (AP)
Pumping station at the end of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Schwedt, Germany (AP)
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Iraqi Oil Production Collapses as Hormuz Still Blocked by US-Iran War, Sources Say

Pumping station at the end of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Schwedt, Germany (AP)
Pumping station at the end of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Schwedt, Germany (AP)

Iraqi oil production from its main southern oilfields has fallen by 70% to just 1.3 million barrels per day as the country is unable to export oil via the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war, 3 industry sources said on Sunday.

According to Reuters, production from the fields stood at around 4.3 million bpd before the war.

Business

Egyptian Pound Hits Record Low as Mideast War Roils Markets

One of the ATMs in downtown Cairo, the Egyptian capital (AFP)
One of the ATMs in downtown Cairo, the Egyptian capital (AFP)
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Egyptian Pound Hits Record Low as Mideast War Roils Markets

One of the ATMs in downtown Cairo, the Egyptian capital (AFP)
One of the ATMs in downtown Cairo, the Egyptian capital (AFP)

Egypt's currency fell to a record low, trading at over 52 to the US dollar on Sunday, as the economic fallout of the war in the Middle East hits the region's most populous country.

The US-Israeli war on Iran has expanded across the Gulf and beyond, upending global energy markets and trade, and virtually halting traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's crude oil travels.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last week warned that the country was in a "state of near-emergency", warning of renewed inflationary pressures.

Despite Egypt not having been directly hit by the war, the fighting has nonetheless pushed some shipping companies away from its Suez Canal, a key source of foreign currency.

Egypt's import-dependent economy has proved highly sensitive to currency fluctuations in the past.

Inflation -- 11.9 percent in January -- peaked at nearly 40 percent in August 2023, on the back of a punishing economic crisis that has since eased, thanks in part to an over $50 billion bailout.