Saudi Arabia

Market overview

Saudi Arabia is a large air market, and one of the fastest-growing in the region. Airports handled about 140.9 million passengers in 2025, up 9.6%: 76 million international and 65 million domestic. Growth is outrunning infrastructure. Jeddah runs at 107% of its design capacity, Madinah above 137% and Dammam above 112%, so terminal, apron and systems upgrades are urgent. Air cargo was steady at about 1.18 million tonnes, led by Riyadh. Policy is opening the market. In 2025 the regulator licensed two new national carriers (Riyadh Air and an Air Arabia joint venture), plus FedEx and Swissport, and it plans more than 30 new routes in 2026, with private companies developing airports and capacity. Riyadh Air has 91 confirmed Airbus aircraft on order and aims for more than 100 destinations by 2030. For suppliers there is work across airport expansion, ground handling, local MRO, training and digital services, with many of the buyers being new organisations that need help to start up.

Key facts

• About 140.9 million airport passengers in 2025 (up 9.6%): 76 million international and 65 million domestic. Flights rose 8.3% to about 980,400 (GACA, Jan 2026).
• Capacity pressure in 2025: Jeddah at 107% of design capacity, Madinah above 137%, Dammam above 112% (GACA, Jan 2026).
• About 1.18 million tonnes of air cargo in 2025, of which Riyadh handled 576,600 tonnes (GACA, Jan 2026).
• 176 international destinations with regular service in 2025. Jeddah–Cairo was the world's second-busiest route, with 5.8 million seats (Jan 2026).
• Riyadh Air: 91 confirmed Airbus aircraft (60 A321s and 31 A350-1000s), plus purchase rights for 19 more A350s (July 2026).

Key figures

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0).