VIRGINIA — Starting Sunday, the US-Saudi Arabian Business Council (USSABC) is leading a Certified Trade Mission to Saudi Arabia in collaboration with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and the US Department of Commerce. The General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) and Dammam Airports Company (DACO) are supporting partners of the mission whereas Saudia is the official carrier.

This is the 49th mission that the USSABC has organized since its establishment in 1993.

Visiting Saudi Arabia’s three major aviation hubs of Dammam, Riyadh, and Jeddah, the US mission delegates aim to learn more about the Saudi market and discuss opportunities for partnerships.

Of significance, the mission facilitates an opportunity to exchange views on global aviation and learn from the experience of John Selden, general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest and most efficient airport in the world; Sean Donohue, CEO, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the world’s fourth busiest airport by aircraft movements; Lance Lyttle, managing director, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the eighth busiest in the US; and Spencer Dickerson, senior executive vice president, Global Operations, AAAE, the world's largest professional organization for airport executives. Collectively, these airports handled over 220 million travelers in 2018. These executives run multibillion-dollar projects to upgrade infrastructure, enhance customer experience, and upskill workforce at their airports. Moreover, Sean Donohue also serves on the executive committee of the World Travel & Tourism Council, an organization that represents the travel and tourism private sector globally.

In addition, the mission aims to introduce 11 US manufacturers and service providers such as architecture, air traffic management, airport traffic forecasting, planning, and checkpoint services, civil aviation security solutions, airport safety and operational software, security screening, threat assessment, cargo systems, cooling towers, engineering, and air transport communications services to business opportunities in the Saudi market.

In the Eastern Province, the delegation will meet with the leadership of DACO and King Fahd International Airport, in addition to Asharqia Chamber and Saudi private sector companies. The companies will then travel to Riyadh for meetings with GACA, the Saudi Civil Aviation Holding Company, Riyadh Airports Company, King Khalid International Airport, and Riyadh Chamber as well as Saudi private sector. The mission will close in Jeddah with visits to the Jeddah Airport Company, King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah Chamber, and private sector companies.

With 27 airports and more than 91 million passengers per year, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation sector is growing at a rapid pace. The Kingdom’s plans for the sector under Vision 2030 include privatizing and expanding Saudi airports, improving the airport experience for passengers, developing digital infrastructure, and increasing workforce productivity. There are also plans for new cargo terminals, multimodal cargo villages, and hubs. These plans will help meet Saudi Arabia’s goal to increase the number of international and domestic visits to 100 million annually by 2030. — SG