Saudi Arabia's airports 2025: 140.9 million passengers and record growth
Official statistics for 2025 revealed a new historical achievement for the civil aviation sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with air traffic record growth that exceeded all expectations and regional averages. The growth rate reached 9.6% in passenger numbers, reflecting the success of the strategic plans implemented by the Kingdom to strengthen its position as a global logistics hub connecting three continents.
Strategic context and ambitious vision
This growth cannot be viewed in isolation from the general context of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the National Aviation Strategy, which aims to reach 330 million passengers by 2030. This achievement in 2025 confirms that the Kingdom is moving steadily and rapidly towards achieving these targets, driven by the flourishing tourism sector, hosting major global events, and the unprecedented facilitation of visa and visit procedures.
Detailed figures reflect strong performance
The 9.6% increase was not merely a figure; it translated into approximately 140.9 million passengers traveling through the Kingdom's airports. The data revealed a healthy diversity in traffic, with 76 million passengers traveling internationally, highlighting the Kingdom's appeal as a global destination, and 65 million traveling domestically, reflecting the dynamic movement across the Kingdom's vast regions. This surge coincided with an 8.3% increase in the number of flights, bringing the total to approximately 980,400, a clear indication of the sector's sustained recovery and operational efficiency.
Major airports: Performance exceeds expectations
This growth was particularly evident at hub airports, with King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah continuing to lead the way, handling 38% of total passenger traffic with an average daily volume of 146,000 passengers, exceeding its capacity by 107%. This reflects the significant surge in activity resulting from the Umrah, Hajj, and tourism seasons. In the capital, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh also performed strongly, accounting for 29% of total passengers and averaging 112,000 passengers daily.
In the same context, Madinah and Dammam airports achieved historic leaps, as usage rates exceeded capacity by 137% and 112% respectively, highlighting the urgent and continuous need for current and future expansion projects to accommodate this increasing demand.
International leadership and busy air corridors
Internationally, the Kingdom has successfully enhanced its air connectivity network to reach 176 international destinations with high frequency rates (52 or more flights annually). The Kingdom has solidified its position among the world's busiest air routes; the Cairo-Jeddah route ranked second globally with 5.8 million seats, while the Dubai-Riyadh route ranked seventh globally with 4.5 million seats, underscoring the strategic and economic importance of these routes.
In parallel with passenger traffic, the air cargo sector maintained its stability with a volume of 1.18 million tons, concentrated in the three major airports (Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam), which reinforces the role of the aviation sector as a key driver of economic growth and logistics services, and confirms that 2025 was truly the year of “flying towards the top.”.
