Saudi Arabia reported a sharp rise in air passenger traffic in the first half of the year to exceed pre-pandemic levels as the kingdom continues to focus on diversifying its economy away from oil.
The kingdom reported a 17 per cent annual increase to a record 62 million passengers as the number of flights increased 12 per cent to 446,000, "well above pre-pandemic levels", the General Authority of Civil Aviation said in a statement on Friday.
Low-cost carriers registered growth of 38 per cent on international routes and 22 per cent on domestic routes.
Air cargo also rose 41 per cent annually to 606,000 tonnes in the first half of the year.
Overall, Saudi Arabia’s air connectivity expanded to 163 destinations, a 23 per cent increase on 2023, Gaca said.
"Saudi Arabia is now more connected to the world than ever before, delivering record numbers of passengers, flights, air cargo and connectivity during the first half of 2024," said Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, president of Gaca.
“Saudi Arabia is creating unprecedented opportunities for global aviation and the private sector."
The kingdom is investing heavily in aviation and tourism as part of its Vision 2030 strategy, which seeks to diversify its economy away from oil.
It aims to increase the aviation sector's contribution to gross domestic product to 7.8 billion Saudi riyals ($2.08 billion) and create 35,000 jobs by 2030.
Saudi Arabian tourism - in pictures
The Saudi Aviation Strategy also aims to extend the kingdom's connectivity, triple annual passenger traffic, establish two global long-haul connecting hubs and increase air cargo capacity, according to Gaca.
Saudi Arabia's aviation sector has already contributed $20.8 billion to its GDP, with aviation-related activities accounting for a further $32.2 billion in tourism receipts, Gaca said in a report in May.
The aviation sector alone has enabled 241,000 jobs and contributed to supporting a further 717,000 jobs in the tourism-related areas, the report said.
The kingdom is currently expanding aviation infrastructure, including airports and airline services.
In October last year, the kingdom also introduced reforms to help its aviation sector boost competitiveness, attract investors and increase transparency as part of a transformation plan that aims to attract $100 billion in private and public investments to the industry by 2030.
More than 100 companies offered bids to participate in the Abha Airport public-private partnership project to expand capacity from 1.5 million to 13 million passengers, Gaca said on Friday.
Meanwhile, the kingdom's new airline Riyadh Air, which aims to begin operations next year, signed an agreement with US-based Delta Air Lines this week.
As part of the agreement, the Saudi airline will be Delta's exclusive partner in Riyadh and beyond.
It will allow them to collaborate on flight times and routes, sell tickets on each other's flights and extend to other services, such as maintenance, repairs, ground handling and training, they said.
The airlines also said the partnership would include a non-stop service on Delta between the US and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
No US airline currently offers non-stop flights to Saudi Arabia.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Sri Lanka World Cup squad
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Isuru Udana, Milinda Siriwardana, Avishka Fernando, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal.
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TEAMS
EUROPE:
Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren, Thorbjorn Olesen, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson
USA:
Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau ( 1 TBC)
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
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The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
Red Joan
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova
Rating: 3/5 stars
Company%C2%A0profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets