Saudi Air Navigation Services and NATS sign Memorandum of Understanding

Saudi Air Navigation Services (SANS) and NATS have signed a Memorandum of Understanding signalling their intent to collaborate on initiatives and projects that will help safely manage and efficiently deliver increased capacity over the coming years.

The agreement was signed at the inaugural CANSO Airspace World event in Geneva.

SANS is responsible for providing air navigation services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where it plays a vital role in delivering safe Air Traffic Management within Saudi Arabian airspace and across the country’s airport network.

NATS CEO, Martin Rolfe (centre left) and SANS CEO, Abdulaziz Salem Alzaid (centre right) signed the agreement at CANSO Airspace World.

Following a successful visit to NATS UK in December 2022, this agreement will enable the two organisations to further develop the working relationship that has been established.  It signals the shared intent of both organisations to pursue future opportunities, focused on a sustainable approach to efficiently maximising capacity and managing ATM across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Through its ‘Vision 2030’ programme, introduced in 2016, Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in its aviation infrastructure to help drive the Kingdom’s collective growth ambitions with sustainability at its heart. Working together, SANS and NATS will explore how the latest air traffic management technologies and techniques to help support and deliver against that agenda.

Martin Rolfe, NATS Chief Executive Officer, said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has hugely exciting and ambitious plans for its aviation sector. Over the next decade it plans to create new airports, airspace, airlines and infrastructure to increase their passenger numbers to at least 300 million a year. Saud Arabia’s bold and ambitious programme shows how aviation is a fundamental economic catalyst for broader prosperity and we look forward to working with SANS to help bring that vision to life.”