The air transport sector in Saudi Arabia experienced remarkable traffic growth in 2024, achieving unprecedented records in passenger numbers. Over 128 million travelers passed through various airports across the Kingdom, with 59 million on domestic flights and 69 million on international routes. This marks a 15 percent increase compared to 2023 and a 25 percent rise from pre-pandemic levels, confirming the recovery of the aviation sector from the impacts of COVID-19.
The Air Traffic 2024 Report released by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) also revealed that the number of flights across Saudi airports increased by 11 percent compared to 2023, recording 905,000 flights, 474,000 of which are domestic and 431,000 are international.
Saudi Arabia’s air connectivity grows to over 170 destinations
Air connectivity also surged last year, recording a 16 percent increase, with Saudi Arabia now linked to over 170 destinations worldwide.
Furthermore, Air cargo rose 34 percent to over 1.2 million tons in 2024, of which 1.17 million tons were handled by the three largest airports: King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
The four main airports in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah accounted for 82 percent of the total air traffic. During the recent Hajj season, which extended from May 9 to July 21, air traffic recorded a notable increase, with 1.5 million pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom, representing 40 percent of total international travelers during that period.
Read: Top 10 busiest international flight routes in the world in 2024
Jeddah-Riyadh route sees largest capacity increase globally
According to the British global travel data provider OAG, the Jeddah-Riyadh route saw the largest increase in capacity globally among domestic routes in 2024, while the Cairo-Jeddah route ranked as the second busiest international route worldwide.
The Cairo (CAI) to Jeddah (JED) route recorded 5.5 million seats. The airline capacity on this route grew 14 percent above 2023 levels and 62 percent above 2019 levels, maintaining its second position which it achieved in 2023.
The Dubai (DXB) to Riyadh (RUH) also witnessed notable growth, with seat capacity reaching 4,306,599. This route was above 2023 levels by 8 percent and above 2019 levels by a remarkable 37 percent percent. The route has maintained its position as the 6th busiest international airline route since 2023.
