The event will bring together 5,000 experts and aviation leaders from over 100 countries, including ministers, regulators, manufacturers, airlines, and airports.

The Forum will find solutions to the sectors main challenges, inviting attendees to vote in person on what they see as the biggest challenge in aviation, with results announced on the final day.

The Forum, which saw the signing of more than 50 agreements and $2.7 billion in deals during the 2022 edition, will feature globally significant commercial announcements, including equipment orders, connectivity announcements and supplier partnerships, and awards ceremonies recognising achievements and innovation in aviation.

Hosted by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the Forum will be centred on the theme: Elevating Global Connectivity.  

His Excellency the President of GACA, Abdulaziz-Al Duailej, said: “The 2024 Future Aviation Forum will once again unite global aviation leaders to solve aviation’s biggest challenges, including manufacturing supply chain issues, capacity constraints and the development of human capital across the world. Saudi Arabia is committed to providing global leadership on these issues.

The Forum will also showcase the unprecedented investment, growth, and innovation opportunities being created across the Kingdom in support of Vision 2030, for investors, suppliers, and operators.” 

FAF24 kicks off a monumental week for aviation regulators and other leaders, where the Kingdom will also play host to the Airport Council International’s annual general assembly and other sector events which will see the leaders of the International Civil Aviation Organization and International Air Transport Association attending the Forum.

Event attendees already include leading all major global manufacturers, airlines including Riyadh Air, Saudia, Flynas, and Flyadeal, and Saudi Vision 2030 projects including NEOM, Red Sea Global, airports including King Salman International Airport, among others. 

The Forum will also progress the Saudi Aviation Strategy’s (SAS) transformation of the Kingdom into the Middle East’s leading aviation hub. The strategy is unlocking more than $100 billion of investment to drive immense growth of the sector, with passenger numbers growing by 26% in 2023 to 112 million and flights increasing by 16% from 700,000 to almost 815,000. 

To-register - https://registration.futureaviationforum.com/en/join/public-delegate

This deal continues a deal flow involving 10 widebodies to different buyers and lessees over the past 12 months.

The engines from the aircraft, MSNs 825 and 831, were sold to a large international operator while the airframes were sold in a separate transaction to AerFin.

Jamie Carter, commercial director Stratos said: “The placement of these aircraft has been challenging but we are delighted to have assisted Etihad in finding an optimal solution for the aircraft. This sale confirms not only our ability to find aircraft solutions for small and large airline clients alike, but also our ability to place widebody and narrow body aircraft in all types of markets.”

The new regulations are designed to create a better travel experience, providing greater support at each stage of the passenger’s journey in the event of travel disruptions. 

GACA has initiated the “Putting Passengers First” consumer education campaign to educate passengers on their strengthened protections, and the importance of contacting their airline to use their rights in the event of a disruption. If passengers don't receive an adequate response in seven days, they can ask GACA to investigate their complaint. 

Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Dahmash, the Vice President of GACA for Quality and Passenger Experience, said: “From today, passengers travelling in and from the Kingdom have enhanced protections when they are affected by travel disruptions resulting from airline delays. GACA encourages passengers to learn about the strengthened passenger rights communicated through GACA’s “Putting Passengers First” campaign, and to contact their airline when they face a disruption. 

“These changes reflect GACA’s focus on putting the passenger first, through regulations that create better choice, value and service quality for passengers. By enabling a better travel experience, these regulations support the Kingdom’s broader Saudi Aviation Strategy growth agenda.” added Al Dahmash.

The new regulations encompass 30 new provisions that cover every stage of the air travel journey, covering ticketing, boarding, in-flight services, baggage handling, and catering to passengers with special needs, including those with reduced mobility. Compensation provisions have been strengthened and extended through the regulations, addressing situations like flight delays, cancellations, overbooking, and unexpected stopovers.

The regulatory changes were announced by GACA on the 23rd of August and have taken effect following the 90-day notice period for new regulations.  GACA has worked with domestic and international carriers to prepare for the implementation of the regulations. 

The regulations are a key component in enabling the aviation sector's Saudi Aviation Strategy targets, including tripling passenger numbers to 330 million per annum and connecting the Kingdom with more than 250 global destinations by 2030. The Kingdom is experiencing unprecedented aviation sector growth, to support the Kingdom’s broader Vision 2030 tourism, travel and economic diversification objectives.

He described the progress since 2018 of 37 countries signing up to SAATM as “good progress but not good enough”, especially considering that only 18 of them have “fully submitted” to it. “We cannot predict a dismal performance to the generation that is coming after us,” said Munetsi.

Hosted on the shores of Lake Victoria by national carrier Uganda Airlines, the principle of SAATM received strong support from all sides at the AFRAA meeting but has been hampered by protectionism and fears about a more competitive market.

“We would look to switch it on tomorrow if we could, but let’s be honest it needs a lot of work,” said Kamil Al-Awadhi, vice-president Middle East & Africa at IATA.

Katumba Wamala, Minister of Works and Transport in the Ugandan government, reaffirmed his government’s continued support of SAATM, but noted it “it not an event, but a process. We have commenced the process to align our legal regime with the SAATM principles and in due course we will be announcing our commencement date.”

Wamala noted that “SAATM is not a magic wand”, sounding a warning that it alone will not solve Africa’s lack of regional connectivity.

Jenifer Bamuturaki, CEO of Uganda Airlines, noted that while Africa’s air transport industry has shown “remarkable resilience” over the past few years, it was disappointing there had been no significant increase in the proportion of international traffic carried by the continent’s carriers compared to other regions.

She said the region needs to find “faster ways to speed up market liberalisation”, adding that conversations with her country’s CAA and government were “moving in a good direction” in terms of achieving greater freedom to operate.

The guest of honour, Uganda’s Vice President Jessica Alupo noted how “air transport has become an important part of our national strategy”, adding that the government is committed to investing in the national carrier.

Speaking on the CEO panel, Ethiopian Airlines head Mesfin Tasew said that his airline is “eagerly awaiting the full implementation of SAATM” but that it has been able to expand regardless of markets opening through the SAATM process.

Tasew added that its recent slew of Airbus and Boeing orders placed at the Dubai Airshow in the week prior to the AFRAA meeting were made based on its long-term strategic growth plan not on any SAATM dividend.

He also noted that while most AFRAA airline CEOs publicly support SAATM, in private some are worried about the implications of SAATM and the competition that would bring.

Joao Jorge, CEO of LAM Mozambique Airlines, said he understands the “fear” airline leaders might have, but stressed that “we need to be open to the fact that competition is necessary for us all to grow.”

Alex Avedi, CEO of Wilson Airport-based Safarilink Aviation said that the airline industry – particularly among the national carriers was fragmented and as such could never compete with the assets and capacity of international carriers.

Each of the carriers across the former East Africa Community have just a handful of widebody aircraft.

Speaking at the CEO panel at the AFRAA annual general assembly, Avedi said: “On average, African carriers only have like six aircraft. The truth of the matter is, we are still so obsessed with flag carriers. Look at Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania all setting up, their own widebody fleets.

“But it is all very fragmented. If you look at the days of the East African Community it's tougher. We have limited resources. We have all these delusions of grandeur  with our fleet of six, and Middle Eastern airlines are coming in with hundreds of widebodies. We call it dumping capacity, but all it is really is capacity.

“We will never be able to play the game,” he said.

Avedi said creating a liberalised market – or bringing back an East African community would make massive savings for passengers, Kenyan domestic charges are around $4 but crossing a neighbouring border sees charges rise to $50 or $60.

The difference would compare a domestic flight to Mombasa costing $160 return, while the same flight time to neighbouring Tanzania would see tickets costing more than $300.

“Each night 15 buses take passengers the 12 hour trek from Kampala to Nairobi. That journey could be done by plane in an hourif we can open the way and drop the charges,” he said.

Kenya Airways CEO, Allan Kilavuka responded from the floor saying he agreed with Avedi.

“Consolidation of this fragmented aviation industry is critical for sustainability of aviation,” he said. “I was reading an article about Europe, Europe is consolidating more such as Air France, KLM and SAS. But in Africa, what are we doing? in fact the subscale aviation industry that we have in this continent grows, and we are our own enemies.”

This follows the successful audit conducted on ground handling operations at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) which recognised KQ for maintaining high standard in ground handling services as well as the unwavering commitment to ensure safety and security of passengers, aircraft and goods.

The successful audit is a testament to Kenya Airways unwavering dedication to the safety and well-being of its passengers, employees, and all stakeholders. The rigorous assessment, carried out by independent ISAGO auditors, covered a wide range of ground handling aspects, including baggage handling, aircraft loading, and safety protocols.

Capt. Haig Anyonyi, Director Safety, Quality and Environment at Kenya Airways, stated, “We are excited about this achievement. The ISAGO station accreditation is an important milestone for Kenya Airways, reflecting our continuous pursuit of excellence in all aspects of our operations. This accreditation will provide confidence to our passengers, customer airlines, and the regulators on our safety, security and quality measures of ground handling services. We are dedicated to ensuring that our passengers experience world-class service to all our customers."

These results demonstrate Etihad’s commitment to maintaining the highest operational safety and airworthiness standards to provide its guests with the safest and most reliable travel experience.

Mohammad Al Bulooki, chief operating officer and accountable manager at Etihad Airways said: “At Etihad, safety is our number one priority and is fully embedded in everything we do. We are extremely proud of our people for being able to maintain such an impressive compliance record for the last 17 years - even throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic - bringing this feat to a completely new level." 

Earlier in September this year, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) also recognised the effectiveness of Etihad’s Safety Management System (SMS) with one of the highest scores ever achieved in the UAE, acknowledging the strength of its safety culture and the utilisation of industry-leading technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to further enhance the safety of its operations.