Saudi Arabia welcomes record 62 million air travellers in first half of the year

Low-cost carriers reported strong growth, up 38% on international routes during the six-month period

The King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

Saudi Arabia reported a sharp rise in air passenger traffic in the first half of the year to exceed pre-pandemic levels as the kingdom continues to focus on diversifying its economy away from oil.

The kingdom reported a 17 per cent annual increase to a record 62 million passengers as the number of flights increased 12 per cent to 446,000, "well above pre-pandemic levels", the General Authority of Civil Aviation said in a statement on Friday.

Low-cost carriers registered growth of 38 per cent on international routes and 22 per cent on domestic routes.

Air cargo also rose 41 per cent annually to 606,000 tonnes in the first half of the year.

Overall, Saudi Arabia’s air connectivity expanded to 163 destinations, a 23 per cent increase on 2023, Gaca said.

"Saudi Arabia is now more connected to the world than ever before, delivering record numbers of passengers, flights, air cargo and connectivity during the first half of 2024," said Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, president of Gaca.

“Saudi Arabia is creating unprecedented opportunities for global aviation and the private sector."

The kingdom is investing heavily in aviation and tourism as part of its Vision 2030 strategy, which seeks to diversify its economy away from oil.

It aims to increase the aviation sector's contribution to gross domestic product to 7.8 billion Saudi riyals ($2.08 billion) and create 35,000 jobs by 2030.

Saudi Arabian tourism - in pictures

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  Tourists take a tour of the ancient Nabataean site of Hegra in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Bloomberg

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  Outdoor seating at the Harrat Viewpoint in AlUla. Bloomberg

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  Hegra’s Tomb of Lihyan in AlUla. Bloomberg

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  The ancient archeological site of AlUla is seen from the Harrat Viewpoint. Bloomberg

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  Staff of the Okto restaurant at the Harrat Viewpoint observation site. Bloomberg

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  Tourists at the Harrat Viewpoint. Bloomberg

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  Evening illuminations at the Elephant Rock site, also known as Jabal Alfil. Bloomberg

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  The restored Old Town of AlUla. Bloomberg

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  Private drivers wait for tourists. Bloomberg

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  An ice cream van parked at the ancient archeological site. AFP

The Saudi Aviation Strategy also aims to extend the kingdom's connectivity, triple annual passenger traffic, establish two global long-haul connecting hubs and increase air cargo capacity, according to Gaca.

Saudi Arabia's aviation sector has already contributed $20.8 billion to its GDP, with aviation-related activities accounting for a further $32.2 billion in tourism receipts, Gaca said in a report in May.

The aviation sector alone has enabled 241,000 jobs and contributed to supporting a further 717,000 jobs in the tourism-related areas, the report said.

The kingdom is currently expanding aviation infrastructure, including airports and airline services.

In October last year, the kingdom also introduced reforms to help its aviation sector boost competitiveness, attract investors and increase transparency as part of a transformation plan that aims to attract $100 billion in private and public investments to the industry by 2030.

More than 100 companies offered bids to participate in the Abha Airport public-private partnership project to expand capacity from 1.5 million to 13 million passengers, Gaca said on Friday.

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Meanwhile, the kingdom's new airline Riyadh Air, which aims to begin operations next year, signed an agreement with US-based Delta Air Lines this week.

As part of the agreement, the Saudi airline will be Delta's exclusive partner in Riyadh and beyond.

It will allow them to collaborate on flight times and routes, sell tickets on each other's flights and extend to other services, such as maintenance, repairs, ground handling and training, they said.

The airlines also said the partnership would include a non-stop service on Delta between the US and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

No US airline currently offers non-stop flights to Saudi Arabia.