Riyadh, January 29, 2026, SPA -- The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced that Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation sector achieved exceptional growth in 2025, setting record figures in air traffic statistics. GACA President Abdulaziz Al-Duailej announced the figures during the 19th Steering Committee meeting to activate the Aviation Program, held Wednesday in Riyadh under his chairmanship. Al-Duailej praised the unwavering support of the Kingdom’s leadership for the aviation sector as a pivotal enabler of Saudi Vision 2030. He highlighted the sector’s notable achievements in 2025, noting that the number of passengers exceeded 140 million, up about 9%. International destinations rose to 176, with the Kingdom maintaining three of the world’s busiest air routes. He indicated that 2025 saw the strengthening of a competitive environment and the attraction of global investments, through the approval of new national carriers such as Riyadh Air and the Air Arabia Alliance, and the licensing of major international companies like FedEx and Swissport, in addition to enabling the private aviation sector. He outlined key aspects of the 2026 plan, focusing on empowering the private sector to develop airports and increase their capacity, as well as the launch of more than 30 new routes. At the same time, he emphasized the need for full preparedness of all operational teams and the optimal deployment of national workforce talents to serve pilgrims and Umrah performers, aiming to provide a seamless, spiritually enriching travel experience that reflects qualitative advancement in the logistics sector and the Kingdom’s global leadership. Al-Duailej announced the April official launch in Riyadh of the fourth Future Aviation Forum, which has been endorsed by the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as a leading global platform aimed at shaping the future of the aviation sector and addressing its major challenges through an ambitious Saudi vision. The Aviation Program, derived from the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, aims to transform the Kingdom into a global logistics hub connecting three continents, establish it as a world-class destination for tourism and business, and position it as a leading aviation center in the Middle East, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
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