Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector achieved remarkable growth in 2025, with its airports handling nearly 141 million passengers. This represents a significant 9.6% increase from the previous year, according to new data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).
Consequently, this surge reflects the Kingdom’s successful strategy to establish itself as a premier global aviation hub, as the national aircraft fleet also expanded substantially, growing by 33.8% to a total of 483 aircraft.
Accelerating Passenger and Flight Growth
International travel drove much of the expansion, with 75.8 million passengers marking a 9.4% annual increase. Meanwhile, domestic traffic also saw strong growth, rising 9.8% to 65.1 million passengers. King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah remained the nation’s busiest gateway, processing 53.5 million passengers.
Following this, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh handled 40.8 million passengers, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam managed 13.7 million. Furthermore, total flight activity climbed 8.3% to nearly 980,000 flights, underscoring the sector’s dynamic momentum.
Expanding Global Connectivity and Cargo
The Kingdom enhanced its international reach, connecting its airports to 176 destinations across 66 countries. This improved network helped Saudi Arabia achieve an 18th-place ranking in the 2025 global Air Connectivity Index.
In the logistics domain, air cargo volumes reached 1.18 million metric tons. Imports constituted the largest share, while transit cargo also showed robust figures. To support this growth, authorities continued to expand logistics infrastructure at key airports.
This expansion is a crucial part of the national strategy to position the Kingdom as a pivotal logistics hub connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe.
