RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation has signed an agreement with its UK counterpart to strengthen ties in the area of aviation safety while encouraging fresh investment in the Kingdom. Aimed at improving the quality of safety management of all aviation operators in Saudi Arabia, the deal will help GACA keep up to date with the latest developments in the sector. The agreement will also help create an attractive environment for investors, while facilitating the expected economic growth in the sector as the Kingdom aims to diversify its revenue sources, reported the Saudi Press Agency. The SPA report added that this deal underlines GACA’s keenness to ensure the transfer of knowledge and train national professionals in the field, in line with the objectives of the next stage, which will witness the introduction of new air transport types and with the Saudi Vision 2030. The agreement was signed by GACA Executive Vice President of Safety and Aviation Standards Captain Sulaiman Almuhaimedi and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority Director of the International Group Ben Alcott. The signing ceremony was also attended by GACA President Abdulaziz Al-Duailej and UK Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Neil Crompton. The deal with the UK falls within the targets of Saudi Arabia’s national civil aviation strategy, which aims at building international partnerships and signing bilateral agreements. As part of the strategy, Saudi Arabia aims to enhance its air connectivity to 250 destinations around the world, transporting 330 million passengers by 2030. It also intends to serve as a global logistics hub by doubling its air cargo capacity to 4.5 million tons by the end of this decade.