Saudi Arabia’s airports achieved record growth in passenger traffic in 2025, surpassing regional averages and reinforcing the Kingdom’s position as one of the fastest-growing and most advanced aviation markets globally. Passenger numbers rose 9.6% year-on-year, driven by tourism expansion, international events, and enhanced global air connectivity.
The total number of passengers reached approximately 140.9 million, including 76 million international and 65 million domestic travelers, supported by an 8.3% increase in flights, bringing the total to around 980,400 operations, demonstrating the sector’s sustainable recovery.
Key airports led the growth:
- King Abdulaziz International Airport (Jeddah): 38% of total traffic, daily average of 146,000 passengers, operating at 107% of capacity.
- King Khalid International Airport (Riyadh): 29% of total traffic, daily average of 112,000 passengers.
- Madinah and Dammam Airports: Historic surges, with capacity utilization exceeding 137% and 112%, respectively.
International connectivity expanded to 176 destinations, with multiple high-frequency routes of 52 flights or more per year, enhancing global accessibility. On the world’s busiest air corridors, the Cairo–Jeddah route ranked second globally with 5.8 million seats, while Dubai–Riyadh ranked seventh with 4.5 million seats.
The air cargo sector remained robust, handling 1.18 million tons, with Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam airports carrying the largest share, highlighting aviation’s role as a key driver of economic growth and logistics services.
These figures underscore 2025 as a year of “soaring to the top,” consolidating Saudi Arabia’s role as a global aviation hub and positioning its airports as gateways to the future.
