Saudi Arabia's Growing Aviation Ambitions

Future Aviation Forum kicks off today in Saudi Arabia, the country that is set to become the next global aviation hub.

The kingdom has recently established partnerships with the leading companies in the sector aimed at transforming the market.

In December, NEOM, Saudi $500 billion development project, announced a joint venture with German aircraft manufacturer Volocopter to build and operate the world’s first bespoke public vertical mobility system. The kingdom ordered 15 Volocopter air-mobility taxis.

Last month, Airbus inked a deal with The Helicopter Company (THC), one of the first licensed helicopter operators in the Kingdom backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, to build a global urban air mobility ecosystem.

According to the agreement, a new fleet of helicopters will be introduced to the Kingdom. THC currently operates ten H125 helicopters and, with the agreement, will further add 20 H145s and six ACH160s with options to increase the fleet further.

Air taxi service is still in the early stages of commercialization, but it has the potential to completely transform the aviation industry.