Air transport traffic in Saudi Arabia in 2023 registered a record number of nearly 112 million passengers through various airports in the Kingdom, with a growth rate of 26 percent compared to 2022, and more than 8 percent compared to 2019.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GASTAT) revealed, in the air traffic performance report on Tuesday, that the number of flights through the Kingdom’s airports during 2023 reached 815,000, with an increase of 16 percent compared to 2022.
Saudi Arabia witnessed record growth in terms of the number of passengers and international flights during the past year, reaching about 61 million passengers, and more than 394,000 flights.
King Abdulaziz International Airport emerged as the Kingdom’s busiest hub, averaging 30 flights per hour. Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport followed closely with a rate of 27 flights per hour, while King Fahd International Airport placed third with 11 flights per hour.
Domestic flights also recorded a noticeable increase in the number of passengers and flights during the year 2023. Passenger volume on domestic routes climbed to 51 million, facilitated by over 421,000 domestic flights departing from various airports across the Kingdom.
Egypt topped the destinations during 2023 in terms of the number of passengers, with a total of about 10.5 million. The UAE ranked second in international destinations for travelers, with a total of about 9.7 million passengers, followed by Pakistan in third place with about 5.3 million. Other key destinations included India, with about 4.7 million passengers, and Türkiye, with about 4 million.
Air cargo transportation witnessed a steady increase of over 7% in 2023, with a total volume exceeding 918,000 tons compared to 854,000 in 2022.
