Riyadh is hosting two major, overlapping aviation events next week: The Future Aviation Forum (FAF) — where investment projects worth USD 100 bn will be up for grabs — and the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Facilitation 2024 Global Summit. The FAF is set to run from Monday, 20 May, through to Wednesday, 22 May, while the two-day ICAO summit is scheduled for kickoff on Tuesday, 21 May. Both events will be hosted at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center.

Some 5k aviation executives from aviation majors including Boeing, Airbus, China’s Comac, and Embraer, along with industry experts, manufacturers and government officials are expected to arrive in the capital for both events. The FAF will be hosted and run by the General Civil Aviation Authority (Gaca).

In context: The events are part of the Kingdom’s aviation strategy, which the government hopes to turn into a USD 2 bn industry, and the country’s extending air connectivity to a total of 250 countries by 2030. FAF — headlined “Elevating global connectivity” — is expected to see the government draw back the curtain on how it plans to achieve these goals. This also plays into the government’s tourism target, which was more than doubled aiming to lure 150 mn tourist trips by 2030, after hitting an earlier target of 100 mn last year ahead of plan.

The breakdown potential investments on the table: Some USD 50 bn are earmarked for local airport development, and USD 40 bn for new aircraft orders, according to state news agency SPA. Some USD 5 bn are reserved for setting up special logistics zones in some of the airports in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam, and the remaining USD 5 bn will be channeled towards other aviation-related projects.

On the agenda for FAF: Air mobility, travel safety, sustainable jet fuels, digitization, and the use of AI. You can check out the full agenda (pdf) here and watch the event live here or register to attend here.

MEANWHILE- ICAO’s summit will focus on facilitation measures that make it easier and quicker for passengers, cargo, and aircrafts to move across international borders. This includes strategies to improve services for persons with disability and elderly, and innovation to improve traveler experiences. Here’s the preliminary agenda (pdf).

Among the prominent speakers at both events include:

  • Transport and Logistics Minister Saleh Bin Nasser Al-Jasser;
  • GACA President Abdulaziz Bin Abdullah Al-Duailej;
  • CEO of Riyadh Air Tony Douglas;
  • CEO of Flyadeal Steven Greenway;
  • CEO and Managing Director of Flynas Bander AlMohana;
  • ICAO President Salvatore Sciacchitano;
  • ICAO’s Secretary General, Juan Carlos Salazar;
  • CEO of Wizz Air József Váradi;
  • Director General of Global Express Association Carlos Grau Tanner;
  • CEO of Flydubai Ghaith AlGhaith;
  • Riyadh Airports Company CEO Ayman Abdul Aziz AboAbah;
  • US Department of State official Callan Thomas;
  • Canadian Transportation Agency Chairperson and CEO, France Pégeot;
  • Finnish Immigration Service CTO, Christopher Bonn;
  • UN’s Countering Terrorist Travel Chief, Christine Bradley.
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