RIYADH:  Passenger traffic in Saudi Arabia increased by 17 percent during the first six months of 2024, reaching about 62 million passengers compared to 53 million passengers during the same period last year, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported early Sunday.  The number of flights also reached approximately 446,000, marking a 12 percent increase compared to 399,000 flights during the first six months of 2023, the report said, citing statistics released by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).  Airfreight volume also went up, hitting 606,000 tons in the first six months of 2024, a 41 percent jump from 430,000 tons in the same period of 2023. Aviation in the Kingdom has seen several achievements in the past six months, including 16 Saudi airports obtaining the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Service Quality (ASQ) accreditation for 2024, the report also said. Saudi airports also continued their progress in ranking among the top 50 airports worldwide, it said, citing the evaluation results announced by Skytrax, the international air transport rating organization.  Three of the Kingdoms international airports won awards from ratings agencies last year. Madinahs Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport won the first-place award as the best regional airport in the Middle East during the Skytrax World Airport Awards ceremony held in Frankfurt, Germany. King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah got the highest ratings on the Airports Council International list for 2023.  King Fahd International Airport in Dammam won three of the Saudi Airports Awards for 2023, including the award for the best airport in the category 5-15 million passengers, the award for the best customs inspection area, and the award for the best services for people with disabilities. Meanwhile, national flag carrier SAUDIA won awards for being the most advanced airline in the world and having the best economy-class catering for 2024 in the Skytrax global ranking, SPA noted. On the other hand, Flynas was named fourth-best low-cost airline in the world for the second consecutive year and the first in the Middle East for the seventh consecutive year, the most important global benchmark for measuring airline performance, according to Skytrax.  "All these achievements are part of the initiatives and programs launched by GACA, aiming to contribute to the development of the air transport industry locally, regionally, and internationally, in line with the National Strategy for the Civil Aviation Sector," SPA said. "The strategy aims to make the aviation sector in the Kingdom the first in the Middle East by reaching 330 million passengers, increasing air freight capacity to 4.5 million tons, and raising air connectivity to reach 250 destinations to and from Saudi airports by 2030," it added. During the first half of this year, GACA launched several development projects, including the development and expansion of Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, the inauguration of the development and expansion of Al-Ahsa International Airport, the launch of the new additional international departure terminal at Taif International Airport, and the introduction of the self-driving air taxi experience for the first time during the Hajj season.  The authority granted the first operating permit for building cleaning using drones, which illustrates its commitment to enabling safe and innovative advanced air mobility solutions.  It also launched a knowledge-testing center for aviation personnel and the first phase of electronic gates at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. GACA itself has won two gold awards for Best Customer Service and Best Public Service Center in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, the Consumer Protection Association award for excellence in protecting passengers rights, and the certificate in the quality management system for monitoring flight safety and environmental sustainability.