Airports record hikes across the board in 2024: Passenger traffic at the Kingdom’s airports rose 15% y-o-y in 2024 to 128 mn passengers, according to data released by Gastat (pdf). Air cargo at the nation’s airports increased 34% y-o-y during the year to reach 1.2 mn tons.

A closer look: International passengers arriving at Saudi airports rose 14% y-o-y last year to 69 mn passengers, while domestic flight passengers increased 16% y-o-y to 59 mn. A daily average of 189k international passengers and 162k domestic travelers landed in the Kingdom’s airports during the year.

Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport handled the largest passenger traffic in 2024, welcoming 49 mn passengers, up 14% y-o-y. Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport saw an 18% y-o-y rise in passenger traffic during the year, registering 37.6 mn passengers, while Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport recorded a 15% y-o-y boost with 12.8 mn passengers.

Domestic flights were on the up: The Kingdom’s airports saw their domestic flights grow 12% y-o-y to 474k in 2024, while international flights logged a 10% y-o-y increase to 431k. Saudi airlines operated nearly 412k domestic flights and 152k international flights last year.

King Abdulaziz International Airport boasted the largest capacity for the second year running, being able to host up to 50 mn passengers, marking an 11% y-o-y upgrade. The airport utilized 98% of its capacity last year. King Khalid International Airport followed with a 39 mn-passenger capacity, up 5% y-o-y. The airport used 96% of its capacity during the year.

The Kingdom’s total aircraft fleet rose 11% y-o-y to 361 in 2024, with the commercial aviation fleet having the largest share with 258 aircraft.

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