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King Abdulaziz International Airport Achieves Top Places in 2023 ACI Rankings

King Abdulaziz International Airport gets crowned as one of the most advanced airports in air connectivity in the Middle East - SPA
King Abdulaziz International Airport gets crowned as one of the most advanced airports in air connectivity in the Middle East - SPA
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King Abdulaziz International Airport Achieves Top Places in 2023 ACI Rankings

King Abdulaziz International Airport gets crowned as one of the most advanced airports in air connectivity in the Middle East - SPA
King Abdulaziz International Airport gets crowned as one of the most advanced airports in air connectivity in the Middle East - SPA

King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) was crowned one of the most advanced airports in air connectivity in the Middle East by the Airports Council International (ACI).
During ACI's annual General Assembly Conference and Exhibition in Riyadh, KAIA placed third as the best airport in the field of air connectivity in the Middle East for 2023, SPA reported.
These results are an extension of the ongoing efforts of the Jeddah Airports Company, which manages and operates KAIA in using the latest technology, developing the infrastructure of the Kingdom's founder’s airport, upgrading the quality of services, and expanding the network of local and international air destinations to more than 125.
As part of its endeavor to achieve the national strategic objectives of civil aviation emanating from the Saudi Vision 2030, the Jeddah Airports Company continues to strengthen the position of KAIA as a global hub airport, and to provide a unique travel experience for all travelers, including tourists and visitors to the Grand Mosque of Makkah from around the world, with the airport achieving a record growth in operations of over 36%.

The airport also aims to increase the number of destinations to 135 by the end of 2024, achieving a growth of 6% compared to 2023.
Jeddah Airports Company CEO Eng. Mazen Johar unveiled the company's intention to upgrade the level of services to realize the goals of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, which aims to increase operational efficiency and raise the capacity of KAIA to reach 114 million passengers by 2030.

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Japan's Demand-Led Inflation Slows, Clouds BOJ Rate Hike Path

People visit Ameya-Yokocho shopping street in the Ueno area of Tokyo on June 19, 2024. (AFP)
People visit Ameya-Yokocho shopping street in the Ueno area of Tokyo on June 19, 2024. (AFP)
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Japan's Demand-Led Inflation Slows, Clouds BOJ Rate Hike Path

People visit Ameya-Yokocho shopping street in the Ueno area of Tokyo on June 19, 2024. (AFP)
People visit Ameya-Yokocho shopping street in the Ueno area of Tokyo on June 19, 2024. (AFP)

Japan's core inflation accelerated in May due to energy levies but an index that strips away the effect of fuel slowed for the ninth straight month, data showed on Friday, complicating the central bank's decision on how soon to raise interest rates.

The slowdown in so-called "core core" inflation, which is closely watched by the Bank of Japan as a key gauge of demand-driven price moves, casts doubt on the bank's view that rising wages will underpin consumption and keep inflation on track to durably hit its 2% target.

The core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food, rose 2.5% in May from a year earlier, government data showed, accelerating from the previous month's 2.2% gain due largely to a hike in the renewable energy levy. It was roughly in line with a median market forecast for a 2.6% gain.

But inflation as measured by an index stripping away both fresh food and fuel slowed to 2.1% in May from 2.4% in April, marking the lowest year-on-year increase since September 2022.

Private-sector service inflation slowed to 2.2% in May from 2.4% in the previous month, suggesting companies remained cautious about passing on labor costs.

"The Bank of Japan has been arguing that the strong pay hikes agreed upon in this year's spring wage negotiations will eventually provide a boost to services inflation, but so far there's little evidence of that happening," said Marcel Thieliant, head of Asia-Pacific at Capital Economics.

A renewed rise in crude oil prices and the boost to import costs from a weak yen muddle the outlook for inflation.

Analysts expect core CPI to accelerate near 3% later this month due to rising raw material costs. But such pressure could hurt consumption and discourage firms from hiking prices, hampering the BOJ's efforts to keep underlying, demand-driven inflation durably around its 2% target.

"Real wage growth remains weak in Japan and there's no data confirming that demand-driven inflation is accelerating," said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research.

"The BOJ probably won't raise rates again at least until October-December this year," he said.

The BOJ exited negative rates and bond yield control in March in a landmark shift away from a decade-long, radical stimulus program.

With inflation exceeding its 2% target for two years, it has also dropped hints that it will raise short-term rates to levels that neither cool nor overheat the economy - seen by analysts as somewhere between 1-2%.

Many economists expect the BOJ to raise interest rates to 0.25% this year, though they are divided on whether it will come in July or later in the year.

BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda has said the central bank will raise rates if it becomes more convinced that inflation will durably hit 2% backed by robust domestic demand and higher wages.

Recent weak signs in consumption remain a concern. Japan's economy contracted in the first quarter due in part to a 0.7% drop in consumption as rising living costs discourage households from boosting spending.