Saudi Arabia has recently announced outstanding results in air traffic performance in 2024, with record growth in passenger numbers, connectivity, and aviation cargo. The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) revealed that through the Saudi Aviation Strategy, the Kingdom saw the total number of passengers rise by 15 percent to 94 million in the nine months to September 2024, with flights increasing by 10 percent from 2023.
Strong air cargo growth
Commenting on the sector’s strong performance, GACA president H.E. Mr. Abdulaziz Al-Duailej said: “Saudi aviation is on track to achieve a record-breaking 2024, delivering more flights, destinations and cargo for passengers and customers than ever before. This progress in our Saudi Aviation Strategy reflects the commitment of the entire Saudi aviation sector to enabling the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 economic transformation agenda.”
Saudi Arabia’s aviation cargo also achieved significant growth, with the amount of cargo carried rising by 52 percent this year to 974,000 tons. Saudi Arabia is seeing greater cargo and logistics services, supporting vital industries and consumers far across Saudi Arabia.
Dammam airport’s expansion
GACA announced the results during the 14th Sector Steering Committee in AlKhobar, which brought together sector leaders to review progress in the Saudi Aviation Strategy’s implementation and other supporting initiatives to profile the Kingdom globally.
These initiatives included the high-level UK-British Aviation Roundtable hosted by GACA alongside Farnborough Airshow in July, and GACA’s October attendance at ICAO’s ICAN event in Malaysia following the Kingdom’s successful hosting of the event last year.
In September, Al-Duailej provided the opening keynote address at ICAO’s first Advanced Air Mobility Symposium in Montreal.
The committee discussed Dammam airport’s expansion strategy to support the Eastern Province, building on the 16 percent growth Dammam airport achieved this year. It also discussed strategies to enhance connectivity and enhance the performance of the Kingdom’s airport hubs.
Read: Saudia reports 10 percent rise in passengers to over 9 million guests in Q3 2024
Top performing airports
In a separate report, GACA revealed that King Khalid International Airport, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Airport in Jizan, Al-Ahsa International Airport, and Gurayat Airport received high rankings in performance.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh topped the list of airports that serve more than 15 million passengers yearly, achieving an 82 percent compliance rate. Following closely came King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, with a compliance rate of 73 percent.
For more news on logistics, click here.
