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SAUDI ARABIA - Transport

Moaaz Khanani

Managing Partner, KAMS Global

Bio

Managing director of boutique aviation consultancy KAMS Global, Moaaz Khanani brings over 24 years of multidisciplinary experience spanning commercial, financial and legal environments to lead a highly experienced team of international talent. With a distinguished portfolio of clients and excellent relationships with industry leaders and regulatory authorities, he is well-positioned as a trusted advisor to the aviation sector in the Middle East. He has led high-profile licensing and certification engagements, managed and delivered helipad refurbishment projects to high acclaim, and is well-respected in the aircraft acquisition and financing space for managing a number of complex aircraft repossessions, delivery/redelivery and procurement requests. Moaaz combines deep domain expertise across asset management, technical services, private and commercial aviation with a commitment to excellence, client collaboration and a diplomatic approach to navigating the dynamic and exciting world of Middle Eastern aviation.

"KAMS Global launched in 2013 with a clear objective: to address the significant gap in aviation services within Saudi Arabia."

TBY talks to Moaaz Khanani, Managing Partner of KAMS Global, about leading aviation services, collaboration, and goals for the coming years.

Can you elaborate on the company’s inception, and how it has become a leader in aviation services in Saudi Arabia?

KAMS Global launched in 2013 with a clear objective: to address the significant gap in aviation services within Saudi Arabia. At the time, the region lacked local expertise and infrastructure for project management, consulting, and operational support in aviation. Saudi Arabia’s aviation market, while full of potential, was underserved in terms of technical capabilities, regulatory knowledge, and global best practices. Recognizing this, we positioned ourselves as a comprehensive solutions provider, delivering end-to-end aviation services, including regulatory compliance, infrastructure development, and operational support. What set us apart was our ability to act as a bridge between global aviation standards and local market needs. Starting as a two-person firm, today we boast a diverse team of more than 30 professionals. This growth underscores not just our capabilities but the trust we have garnered from clients and stakeholders. Our success lies in the alignment of our services with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the broader transformation of the Middle East aviation ecosystem.

How has Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 impacted the aviation industry, and how is your company contributing to this transformation?

Vision 2030 is reshaping Saudi Arabia into a global economic powerhouse. The National Aviation Strategy is a vital element of this transformation. The strategy envisions positioning the Kingdom as a logistics hub for passengers and cargo by 2030 with annual passenger traffic of 330 million to 250 international destinations and enhanced cargo capacity of 4.5 million tons. Our mission is to deliver a comprehensive range of services aligned with realizing these goals. We collaborate with both public and private sector organizations to ensure compliance with global aviation standards and industry best practices. We are also involved in infrastructure projects that directly contribute to Vision 2030’s objectives. For example, our turnkey helipad development and refurbishment program addresses a critical gap in the Kingdom’s aviation ecosystem. By bringing these facilities into regulatory compliance, we enhance safety, security, connectivity and operational efficiency. We are also building partnerships and bringing in talent to develop AI-driven solutions for technical services, specifically MRO operations as this sector is critically important to the Vision 2030 goal of establishing the Kingdom as an aviation hub.

What core services does KAMS Global provide, and how do they align with the needs of the Saudi aviation sector?

Saudi Arabia’s aviation market is expanding rapidly, with significant investments being made to develop airports, airlines, and MRO facilities. We are building our offering and expertise in alignment with these emerging opportunities to position ourselves as a one-stop shop for aviation services capable of addressing the diverse needs of the Saudi market and wider MENA region. We are therefore expanding into sectors that are complementary to our core service offerings of licensing, certification and regulatory compliance, technical services and private charter services. For example, we are scaling our infrastructure development capabilities by providing support on airside projects, facilities development as well as refurbishment projects. Our competitive edge is a tailored approach to problem solving where insight and innovation both play an important role in the development of solutions that facilitate decision making on a board and strategic level, augment operational efficiencies and deliver growth. While our growing range of comprehensive services is designed to address the complexities of aviation operations, licensing and certification remain a cornerstone of our offerings. This includes facilitating regulatory compliance for new airlines, cargo operators, ground handlers, and maintenance organizations. We deliver a seamless process for obtaining certifications by managing the entire process from setting up operational frameworks to preparing clients for regulatory audits. Our aviation infrastructure services include air-strip design, taxiway and apron construction, aircraft stands, hangars, helipads and heliports. Our experienced team works to identify and partner with innovative firms developing cutting edge automation and optimization solutions that can meet the high expectations of clients envisioning future-facing, hi-tech solutions aligned with the industry’s need to deliver a more efficient, increasingly sustainable service. Our asset management and technical services cater to the growing demand for fleet and lease management, maintenance planning, technical records management, audits and inspections, delivery/re-delivery, engineering services, repossessions, acquisition and sales. We have executed on a number of complex projects including the successful repossession of three Airbus aircraft for a client during the pandemic. This sophisticated request was an opportunity to demonstrate our ability to deliver bespoke solutions under demanding circumstances especially considering the prevailing logistical challenges of the times. In alignment with Saudi Arabia’s commitment to developing local talent and reducing dependence on external resources, we facilitate knowledge transfer and capability building, going beyond technical execution to equip local stakeholders with the expertise they need to sustain long-term growth.

Sustainability as a priority within KSA’s aviation industry. How does this translate into actionable strategies within your operations?

Achieving a positive carbon footprint in this industry is not a simple task and requires a multi-pronged approach. At KAMS Global, this means evaluating all potential solutions to determine ‘what we can do better’. This can mean anything from using solar-powered airfield lighting to integrating AI-enabled tools to optimize critical operations in our helipad refurbishment projects.

With your emphasis on partnerships, how do these collaborations enhance your capabilities and impact?

Our partnerships are central to our business model. These include important relationships with aviation service providers who bring both experience and expertise as well as advanced technology firms with the talent and knowledge to develop advanced technical solutions for our clients. This strategy is in line with our commitment to bring the best technologies and practices to the Middle East. This includes supporting airline startups and private operators to ensure their aircraft and operations meet with the most stringent regulatory requirements and serve as global benchmarks for safety and security standards. We are proud to be contributing to the development of a robust aviation ecosystem in Saudi Arabia by bringing in global talent, knowledge and expertise to boost local capabilities and capacity – a key tenet of Vision 2030.

What challenges do you foresee in the aviation sector, and how are you preparing to address them?

As one of the world’s fastest growing regions, attracting both workers and tourists from all over the globe, it is racing to build the aviation infrastructure to service these unprecedented numbers – and coming up against the same challenges affecting the rest of the world: from regulatory complexities to sustainability mandates, from evolving passenger expectations to workforce shortages and supply chain bottlenecks. Our focus is workforce development, specifically local talent, experience and expertise. We must invest in our own people, whether through apprenticeships and knowledge transfer initiatives or partnerships and investments to build a pipeline of local talent ready to meet the opportunities of tomorrow.

Looking ahead, what are your priorities for the next five years?

Our priorities are three-fold: expansion, innovation, and sustainability. Geographically, we aim to strengthen our presence in Saudi Arabia while exploring opportunities in neighboring markets. In terms of services, we plan to expand our portfolio to include more innovative offerings. Ultimately, our goal is to remain at the forefront of the Middle East’s aviation industry, driving growth by investing in the nation’s capability and capacity. As Saudi Arabia continues its journey toward becoming a global aviation hub, we are committed to playing a leading role in this transformation.

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