Riyadh: President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) Abdulaziz Al-Duailej said Saudi Arabia is pursuing two main tracks in adopting artificial intelligence and automation across the aviation sector. The first track focuses on accelerating the adoption of advanced technologies in non-safety-critical functions and operations, while the second takes a gradual and carefully considered approach to safety-critical functions, Al-Duailej said. These efforts ensure that new technologies deliver an equivalent or higher level of safety, with human capabilities and oversight remaining central under both tracks, he affirmed.
According to Saudi Press Agency, Al-Duailej made the remarks during a ministerial panel on 'AI, Automation and the Future Aviation Workforce' held as part of the Aerospace Future Technology Symposium. The event is part of the El Alamein International Airshow 2026 in Egypt, held from September 8 to 10. The Saudi delegation is headed by Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force Lt. Gen. Turki bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz. It includes aviation, space, and defense leaders and decision-makers from around the world.
During the panel, the GACA president noted that AI is reshaping the roles and skills required in the aviation sector, with growing demand for new specialties in areas such as AI assurance, data science, and human factors. He also highlighted the importance of developing workers' skills to enable them to work effectively with automated systems.
Al-Duailej highlighted national efforts to build human capabilities, citing the Saudi Data and AI Authority's (SDAIA) One Million Saudis in AI (SAMAI) Initiative, which has surpassed its target of training one million Saudi men and women in AI. He said the achievement reflects the leadership's vision of building an AI-enabled digital society. Al-Duailej also underscored the importance of building on this readiness in aviation by developing specialized expertise and capitalizing on advanced training and simulation.
On safety, Al-Duailej stressed the importance of retaining human expertise, situational awareness, and the ability to intervene and make decisions when needed as automation expands, in line with international standards and practices. Aviation will become increasingly automated, but human capabilities will remain central, Al-Duailej emphasized. He stressed the importance of balancing innovation with safety and developing regulatory frameworks that keep pace with technological advances while maintaining human oversight in critical functions.