JEDDAH: Prince Faisal bin Bandar, the governor of Riyadh, and Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Aviation Club (SAC), opened the first Saudi International Airshow — the biggest aerospace industry event ever held in the Middle East — at Thumamah Airport on Tuesday. Prince Faisal described the launch as a “real national occasion,” representing a “new start” for upcoming exhibitions in the field of aviation and aerospace. Prince Sultan, meanwhile, praised the participation of the exhibitors, companies and people who attended, and thanked the SAC for organizing the launch, adding that the turnout reflected the pioneering position of the Kingdom in the world of aviation. It is hoped the airshow will attract investment and build bridges between the Saudi aviation and aerospace industries, providing the perfect platform to connect networking professionals, companies and investors from across the region. The governor of Riyadh and president of the SAC also oversaw the signing of several agreements between the SAC, Saudi Aramco, Alsalam Aerospace Industries Co., the Saudi Rotorcraft Support Co. and others, involving memorandums of understanding (MoU) on student scholarships and technical training provision. One of the MoUs, signed between the Saudi Academy of Aviation and Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) agreed that Saudia would provide training programs to the academy’s students. The exhibition will open to the general public on Thursday, where they will be able to enjoy special live air displays.  More than 260 local and international companies will participate over the three days of the show, with up to 20,000 visitors also expected to attend.  The airshow brings together the major players in the aviation industry, enabling a demanding clientele to discover the industry’s latest developments and innovations.