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JEDDAH: Middle Eastern airlines recorded the second-highest passenger traffic growth globally in August, rising 8.4 percent year on year, underscoring the sector’s resilience despite geopolitical tensions, the International Air Transport Association said. 

According to IATA’s latest Air Passenger Monthly Analysis, global traffic measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPK, rose 4.6 percent year on year in August, slightly above July’s 4.1 percent, bringing total RPK to 896 billion. 

The growth in Middle Eastern airlines reflects broader regional efforts to bolster aviation as a key pillar of economic diversification, particularly in countries such as �������� and the UAE. 

IATA noted that the August performance closely matched its forecast of 8.7 percent growth presented at the association’s 81st Annual General Meeting in New Delhi, where airlines in the Middle East were also projected to generate a net profit of $6.2 billion in 2025, slightly up from $6.1 billion in 2024. Revenue per passenger was expected at $27.20. 

“Middle Eastern airlines saw international traffic rise by 8.2 percent YoY in August. Capacity grew 6.9 percent YoY and PLF edged up one percentage point to 83.9 percent,” the IATA report said. 

It added: “African airlines recorded the highest YoY growth in passenger traffic among all regions, rising 8.9 percent in August.” 

IATA added that industry-wide international traffic for August remained strong and rose by 6.6 percent year on year, with international capacity increasing by 6.5 percent. 

“This slightly slower growth in capacity meant that PLF in the international sector inched up 0.1 percentage points YoY to 85.8 percent, the highest international PLF recorded for the month of August,” IATA report noted. 

It highlighted that domestic passenger traffic, on the other hand, grew only 1.5 percent year on year in August, matching the pace of the previous month. 

“This marked the third consecutive month with YoY gains below 2 percent. Capacity rose by 1.3 percent YoY, pushing the domestic PLF up 0.1 percentage points to 86.3 percent — the highest domestic PLF ever recorded for any month,” the report added. 

Overall, international traffic accounted for 87 percent of the net growth in global RPK, underscoring its dominant role, while domestic traffic contributed only 13 percent, down from 25 percent a year earlier. 

The US was the only major domestic market that contracted, down 0.2 percent year on year after July’s brief rebound of 0.5 percent — revised from 1.5 percent in July’s report, according to IATA release, which added that US domestic PLF fell 1.1 percentage points, marking the eighth consecutive month of year-on-year declines in 2025. 

RIYADH: The fifth Global Cybersecurity Forum opened in Riyadh on Wednesday and announced major initiatives to scale cohesive advances in cyberspace as well as strengthen online resilience.

Majed bin Mohammed Al-Mazyed, the governor of the National Cybersecurity Authority, spoke of the annual forum’s focus on advancing collective action, and the road map set by previous editions over the five years.

He said the GCF and the World Economic Forum had established the Centre for Cyber Economics to work together for inclusive and secure cyberspace.

The GCF and the WEF in January this year signed an agreement to establish the CCE in Riyadh, aimed at increasing knowledge and understanding of the economic challenges and opportunities emerging in the rapidly evolving cyber landscape. The agreement was signed at the WEF Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos.

Al-Mazyed said: “The global economy depends on cyberspace, yet our collective understanding of the economic dimensions of cybersecurity remains limited.”

The CCE will focus on the economic dimension of cybersecurity, driving research, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and developing robust, evidence-based frameworks to enhance global cyber resilience, economic stability, and prosperity.

“In this spirit, I am pleased to announce that the Kingdom is launching a global initiative for capacity building in cyberspace in partnership with the UN,” said the NCA’s governor.

By harnessing the expertise of a wide range of international stakeholders, this initiative will deliver accelerated capacity development in the areas of greatest need, from training and education to research and development, he added.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered a video address to the GCF community at GCF 2025, emphasizing how working together will secure cyberspace.

He said: “We must act together to ensure cyberspace serves the common good.

“The United Nations remains committed to advancing a vision of cyberspace that is open, secure and anchored in international law. To achieve this vision, we are working to ensure all countries have the capacity to maximize digital opportunities while minimizing risks.”

Opening the annual forum, Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar expressed positivity, saying: “We are quite confident that global experts and specialists who are attending the forum will contribute in scaling cohesive advancement in cyberspace and together we will achieve cybersecurity.”

The opening session emphasized scaling progress in cyberspace. Key initiatives announced included the Child Protection and Cyberspace Initiative, launched with DQ Institute, to safeguard children online, and the CPC Index framework.

The Child Protection in Cyberspace Index at the GCF marks a groundbreaking milestone in the global effort to safeguard children online. The CPC initiative, instated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, underscores a global commitment to promoting the digital well-being of children worldwide.

Bridging the gender gap, the GCF aims to bridge the 2.8 million workforce gap in cybersecurity, focusing on women’s participation, with joint research from Duke University and leadership training programs.

In addition, a new knowledge community on aviation cybersecurity was launched, in partnership with Riyadh Air.

The two-day GCF 2025, being held with the theme “Scaling Cohesive Advancement in Cyberspace,” and under the patronage of King Salman, brings together global leaders, senior decision-makers, policymakers, industry experts and other international stakeholders for action-oriented collaboration around key challenges and opportunities in cyberspace.

It aims to scale the cohesive advancements accomplished by the GCF community, elevating their scope, capacity, and impact to advance toward a more secure and resilient cyberspace for all.

It focuses on five sub-themes: “Beyond the Inflection Point,” “Cyber Economics Redefined,” “Strengthening Cyber Inclusion,” “Behavioral Lens in Cyberspace,” and “Opportunities at the Cyber Horizon.”

Across the sub-themes, the GCF 2025 advances dialog toward building a secure and reliable cyberspace that supports economic growth, societal prosperity, individual security, and national stability.

Within this framework, it will address shared priorities such as fostering alignment in a rapidly evolving global landscape; advancing cyber economic cohesion to enable scalable growth and shared prosperity; strengthening collective action for a human-centered and inclusive cyberspace; leveraging behavioral insights to influence actions, counter manipulations, and foster safe cyber environments; and harnessing technological advancements to tackle fast-evolving challenges in cyberspace.

From its inception as an annual event in 2020, the GCF has evolved into a platform that works year-round to strengthen the safety and resilience of cyberspace.