Digitalisation and automation are in sharp focus for the aviation industry as they continue recovery, a senior level employee at the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) told ITP.net.
Covid-19-related travel disruptions caused mass confusion for travelers and airlines – and dealt the sector one of the heaviest financial blows among affected sectors as airlines came to a near standstill. Now, recovery is underway, and there is growing impetus to ensure the industry is prepared for another catastrophe through better coordination among governments, international organisations, airlines, and private sector players.
“The pre-pandemic passenger isn’t the same one as after, and digitalisation and automation is a clear theme of the short- to medium-term for the aviation sector,” Mohammed Alkhuraisi, head of strategy at GACA, told ITP.net ahead of the Future Aviation Forum that opens today in Riyadh.
The post-pandemic world is leaning into technology more than ever, and in the aviation industry, it’s no exception.
“We clearly lack infrastructure and we lack digital enablement, and we have to improve international cooperation,” he said.
Saudi Arabia is now looking to lead a new era of global aviation cooperation, launching a new white paper to coordinate among airlines, governments, health orgranisations, and private sector players.
“Saudi Arabia is well-positioned to take the lead on this topic to help the sector better recover,” Mohammed Alkhuraisi, head of strategy at GACA, told ITP.net ahead of the Future Aviation Forum that opens today in Riyadh.
Chaos ensued when Covid-19 broke out and airlines and countries moved to implement their own travel rules, which often overlapped and contradicted each other. Alkuraisi spoke about the white paper launched today that seeks to bring harmony to international travel.
“What this policy is trying to do is build that collaborative, integrated platform that can be shared among multiple government agencies that anyone can access it – whether it’s airlines, passengers, other civil aviation authorities, or health agencies,” he said of the proposed universal platform.
He said there are challenges, including where information is sourced from, getting the information in one location, and getting the world’s governments to cooperate.
Alkuraisi said he’s looking to the Future Aviation Forum as a platform to get buy-in for the ambitious plan comprised of four pillars: a harmonised reporting system for all countries, communication systems for states and other stakeholders, new governance and coordination mechanisms, and compliance mechanisms.
Passengers are put first in this new Saudi-endorsed plan.
“The pre-pandemic passenger isn’t the same one as after,” GACA’s head of strategy said.
ITP.net asked why Saudi Arabia was best-poised to take on this global leadership role.
“Well in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia in 2019 had 103 million passengers, it has 29 airports, and it has the largest airspace. But we have ambitious plans moving forward. By 2030, the sector is expected to triple in terms of number of passengers, making it the first in terms of passengers in the Middle East, and there will be new airports coming online, new airlines, and massive expansions,” Alkhuraisi said.
“The key message is that we’re trying to regain a world leadership position in the aviation sector. Locally in the Middle East first, and then to be at the top globally as well.”
