RIYADH: Following comprehensive air transport agreements with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries like Qatar and Oman, the European Commission has expressed interest in striking similar deals with Saudi Arabia. It was revealed by Henrik Hololei, director general at the commission’s department for mobility and transport, during an interview with Arab News on the sidelines of the Future Aviation Forum underway in Riyadh. He told Arab News that the commission was “hoping” to strengthen ties with the Kingdom. “We initiated the comprehensive air transport agreement with Oman. And I hope that next would be perhaps Saudi Arabia, because that will be something that will be driving this vision, Europe will be an extremely important market for Saudi Arabia and aviation for the future,” he said. Hololei believes innovation in the global aviation industry is pushed by competition, estimating that by 2050 the number of travelers will increase by 40 percent. He said sustainability and affordability will be key drivers for the recovery of the air transport industry in a post-COVID-19 world. “What we also see is a very strong demand from the customer. And I think this is a good thing, it’s a good trend and it shows one thing (that) people want to travel, people want to fly, and the airlines are there in order to provide that possibility,” Hololei said.