Saudi Arabia vs. The UAE: Which Country is the Busiest in Middle Eastern Aviation?

Image Credit: Oleksii via Adobe Stock.

As air travel continues to ramp up in intensity within the Middle East, which country is the busiest in the region? Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates (UAE)?

Using data from RadarBox's statistics dashboard, we will determine who is in the #1 spot and whether it is a close battle or not. 

Without further ado, let's get into the numbers...

The Numbers...

The Image Above: Average daily movement statistics for countries in the Middle East. 

From the image above, you can see that Saudi Arabia is the busiest country in the Middle East for average daily movement statistics within the Middle East.

The country is currently recorded as handling 2,124 daily movements across all of its airports, with Riyadh and Jeddah being the largest airports in Saudi Arabia. 

The United Arab Emirates comes second at 2,027 daily movements, meaning that there are less than 100 daily movements between the two countries. 

Qatar comes in third with 711 movements per day on average, which highlights the gap between the three countries. 

Saudi Arabia's Aviation Industry Set To Increase in Size...

The aviation industry in Saudi Arabia is set to grow substantially in size over the next decade, with the Public Investment Fund announcing a new airline: Riyadh Air. 

It is understood that the carrier will operate services to over 100 destinations around the world by 2030 and has ordered 39 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with options for an additional 33. 

On top of this, SAUDIA, the country's flagship carrier, also ordered 39 787 Dreamliners, with options for 10 more. 

This means that as the years go on and more aircraft are delivered, the number of average daily movements for Saudi Arabia will increase, which will take on the likes of Qatar & The United Arab Emirates in becoming the connection hubs of the world. 

It remains clear that with this in mind, Saudi Arabia is expected to become a powerhouse in air travel as we progress through the rest of this decade and beyond.