RIYADH: Passenger numbers travelling through Saudi airports increased 9.6 percent in 2025 to reach 140.9 million, according to the data released by the General Authority for Statistics,
International passengers accounted for 75.8 million of the total, marking a 9.4 percent year-on-year rise, while domestic travelers totaled 65.1 million, reflecting a 9.8 percent increase.
The growth comes as Saudi Arabia advances its Vision 2030 plans to become a global aviation and tourism hub through airport expansion, airline growth, and better connectivity, after surpassing its original target of 100 million annual tourists and raising its 2030 goal to 150 million.
The Kingdom’s aviation sector growth in 2025 has been followed by severe regional disruption because of the Iran conflict, which caused airspace closures and flight cancelations across parts of the Middle East.
Despite this, Saudi airports handled more than 12.1 million passengers between Ramadan 1 and Shawwal 9 — Feb. 18 and March 28 — according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation.
