20-22 April, 2026, will see the 2026 Future Aviation Forum return to Riyadh and hence bring together over 11,000 global aviation experts as well as leaders, including the likes of ministers, manufacturers, regulators, and airlines, along with airports.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation – GACA went ahead and launched the Forum while at the same time making an announcement of a third consecutive year of record-breaking aviation growth as far as Saudi Arabia goes. Notably, in 2025, Saudi Arabia went on to carry 140.9 million passengers, which was up by 9.6%, and also operated 980,000 flights, which saw an 8.3% increase vis-à-vis 2024.
It is well to be noted that the 2026 Future Aviation Forum is going to be held under the aegis of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques – the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The Forum is regarded as the premier global leadership forum when it comes to aviation and is recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization. The 2024 edition made way for over 100 agreements amounting to $20 billion in deals.
His Excellency Saleh Al-Jasser, the Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, said:
“Saudi aviation is soaring to new heights, delivering connectivity and growth in support of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 agenda and the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy. The 2026 Future Aviation Forum will showcase the unprecedented investment, growth, and innovation opportunities being created across the Kingdom for global investors, suppliers, and operators.”
Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, His Excellency the President of GACA, stated:
“The 2026 Future Aviation Forum will once again unite global aviation leaders to solve aviation’s biggest challenges, in line with the theme Unlocking Global Growth, Designing the Future Sky. Saudi Arabia is committed to providing global leadership on the world’s biggest aviation issues, including manufacturing supply chains, capacity constraints, geopolitical disruptions, and the development of human capital across the world.”
GACA also went on to confirm that the 2028 along with the 2030 editions of the Forum will be delivered in collaboration with Richard Attias and Associates, which, by the way, is majority-owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. This announcement goes on to reflect the success of the last three editions and also the demand that is coming from aviation leaders as well as sponsors for the event.
Forum attendees are the global regulatory and aviation associations, all prominent global aircraft manufacturers, supplier companies, and airlines, as well as Saudi Vision 2030 projects.
Apparently, at the 19th Saudi Aviation Sector Steering Committee meeting, GACA released the 2025 Air Traffic Report, which confirmed a growing global connectivity to 176 destinations, which goes on to represent 78% growth on pre-pandemic levels. International passenger numbers saw an increase of 10.2% to 76 million passengers, and domestic passengers went up to 65 million passengers. Saudi Arabia is expected to continue its fast aviation expansion, which is in line with its support of the Vision 2030 transformation agenda, with the national airlines having over 500 aircraft on order and also airport capacity expansions that are going as per plan throughout the Kingdom.
