The Saudi government is expected to launch support initiatives to protect the Kingdom’s aviation sector, following a complete halt of activities over the past two months due to the outbreak of Covid-19.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, experts in the Saudi domestic aviation stressed that the sector would recover significantly compared with many other sectors.
They noted that the aviation industry is expected to witness growth in the volume of investments as soon as the concerned authorities decide to re-open the country, underlining the importance of the rich infrastructure, which would contribute to the expansion of investments in many services.
The experts based their projections on the expected government initiatives, which seek to maintain the growth of the aviation sector, in line with Vision 2030 that aims to benefit from the country’s strategic location.
They told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Civil Aviation Authority would launch a number of initiatives, including reducing fees to support Saudi airlines to overcome the impact of the pandemic.
Dr. Hussein Al-Zahrani, Chairman of the Aviation and Support Services Committee at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jeddah, said that the next stage would offer real and great opportunities to raise the volume of aviation sector investments.
He noted that Saudi companies would be given the right to engage in many sectors, including logistical and shipping activities, while opening the way for Saudis to invest in foreign partnerships.
Saudi Arabia’s resumption of flights next Sunday is an opportunity for local airlines to provide various new services, according to Zahrani.
Meanwhile, an official in the sector, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that Saudi airlines would gradually return to normal operation, starting with domestic flights, to be followed by regional and international flights consecutively.
The source expected that the government would provide generous support in the coming stage for the national companies to compensate for their losses that exceeded billions of dollars.