MONTREAL — The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) announced its support for the Harmonizing Air Travel policy initiative launched by the Kingdom during the 41st Organization's General Assembly in Montreal, where the Assembly requested the ICAO Council to prioritize the development and implementation of the policy.

The Harmonizing Air Travel policy, which was supported by the Arab Civil Aviation Authority and a group of member states, led by Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, and Spain, will contribute to enhancing the resilience of the global aviation sector.

This policy will also spread awareness among travelers and enable them to follow the health requirements requested in various countries through an internationally approved framework to facilitate the passenger experience.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) President Abdulaziz Al-Duailej said that this policy confirms the Kingdom's leading role in the aviation sector and its desire to cooperate with various operators and relevant institutions around the world to advance innovation and progress in the sector.

Al-Duailej said the Kingdom's initiative provides a real opportunity to enhance the flexibility of the global aviation sector to facilitate travel procedures for travelers all over the world.

He added that the policy of harmonizing air travel provides effective solutions to the global aviation sector, as it will contribute to restoring confidence among travelers and companies operating within the sector.

He stressed that this achievement contributes to enhancing the vision of the national aviation strategy, which aims to consolidate the role of the Kingdom to lead the aviation sector in the Middle East through global policies and intellectual leadership that aim to expand the Kingdom's flight network.

The expansion is expected to reach 250 global destinations, compared to about 99 destinations in 2019, and triple the annual passenger traffic to reach 330 million passengers, in addition to increasing the volume of goods to 4.5 million tons annually, amid investments totaling about $100 billion, in line with Vision 2030 and the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services. — SPA