IATA presents benefits of aviation study to Saudi Arabia

IATA presented (16-Oct-2012) the government of Saudi Arabia with a study quantifying the economic benefits of aviation to the Saudi Arabian economy. The study was commissioned by IATA and completed by Oxford Economics. Highlights of the study include:

• Aviation supports 1.8% of Saudi Arabia's GDP equal to SR30.2 billion (USD8 billion) p/a;
• Aviation provides work for 152,000 people in Saudi Arabia. The productivity of these jobs is 1.8 times higher than the average for Saudi Arabia;
• Aviation-enabled tourism in Saudi Arabia employs a further 139,000 people and supports some SAR23.6 billion (USD6.3 billion) of economic activity p/a;
• In total, aviation and aviation-enabled tourism accounts for 3.2% of Saudi Arabia's GDP and 3.0% of employment.[more - original PR]