Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday that global airlines had agreed to open a regional headquarters in Riyadh but the industry’s main trade association denied it might be a regional base within the latest evidence of sensitivities over the status of foreign business representation within the kingdom.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) late on Wednesday announced it had signed a “headquarters agreement” with the International air transportation Association to open its “regional office within the ..
IATA said the body had agreed to line up an office in Saudi Arabia but not a regional headquarters.
“It will serve the growing needs of the industry in (Saudi Arabia). we’ve a regional headquarters … in Amman and that we aren’t moving its functions to (Saudi Arabia),” an IATA spokesperson said by email.
GACA didn’t immediately answer an invitation for further comment.
Saudi Arabia is putting pressure on companies to maneuver their regional offices to the dominion , warnin.
