Jeddah airport logs busiest day on record

Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) has achieved a historic milestone, registering its highest-ever number of passengers in a single day. On 17 January 2026, the airport handled more than 195,300 travellers and 1,089 flights, surpassing all previous daily records.

 

The achievement followed the airport’s busiest operational week to date, with 1.28 million passengers passing through its terminals between 11 and 17 January.  Across the full month, KAIA welcomed 5.45 million passengers, a 7.3% increase compared to January 2025. Flight movements also climbed 11% to 29,200, while baggage throughput rose 8% to 6.6 million items.

 

KAIA’s record-breaking start to 2026 builds on a standout performance in 2025, when the airport handled 53.4 million passengers, marking a 9% jump year on year. The total set a new national record, making KAIA the busiest airport in Saudi Arabia and placing it among the world’s top 40 airports by passenger volume, just ahead of regional hub Hamad International Airport in Doha, which processed 52.7 million travellers in 2024.

 

Commenting on the latest milestone, Mazen Johar, CEO of Jeddah Airports Co, said the airport’s long-term goal was to “double passenger capacity” to more than 100 million annually.

 

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As Saudi Arabia’s main Red Sea gateway and a primary hub for millions of Umrah and Hajj pilgrims, KAIA continues to play a pivotal role in the kingdom’s rapidly expanding aviation sector. Its sustained growth is being driven by ongoing network expansion from both local and international carriers. National airline Saudia has launched new routes from Jeddah to Athens, Vienna and Guangzhou, while low-cost carrier Flyadeal has introduced flights to Baku, Sharm El Sheikh and Istanbul.

 

Meanwhile, Qatar Airways has increased its Jeddah services from six to seven daily flights as part of its broader network growth across Saudi Arabia.

 

The record month at KAIA mirrors nationwide growth, with Saudi aviation hitting record highs in 2025. Passenger traffic rose 9.6% year on year to about 140.9 million travellers, including 76 million international and 65 million domestic, while flight movements increased 8.3% to roughly 980,400, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).

 

This rise mirrors Saudi Arabia’s broader tourism growth. The kingdom welcomed 60.9 million visitors in the first half of 2025 and more than 32 million during the Saudi Summer 2025 campaign, keeping it firmly on track to achieve its Vision 2030 goal of attracting 150 million annual visitors.

 

For more information, visit kaia.sa