Saudi Arabia to launch more than 30 new flight routes in 2026

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Saudia, the kingdom's national airline

Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector is gearing up for another landmark year in 2026, with plans to launch routes to more than 30 new destinations, taking the kingdom’s total air connectivity to at least 206 destinations worldwide by year-end.

Speaking at the General Authority of Civil Aviation’s (GACA) 19th Steering Committee, president Abdulaziz Al-Duailej said the authority’s focus will extend beyond new routes to include empowering the private sector to develop airports and boost capacity.

The upgraded 2026 targets follow a year of historic highs for Saudi aviation. In 2025, the kingdom’s airports handled more than 140 million passengers, a 9.6% increase on 2024, which was itself a record year. Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport accounted for more than a third of total traffic, processing 53.4 million passengers to become the busiest airport in Saudi Arabia to date.

Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA)

International connectivity continued to climb, with Saudi airports serving 176 international destinations in 2025, up 3.5% year-on-year, with the kingdom ranking 17th globally in IATA’s Air Connectivity Index, surpassing its 2024 target. OAG data shows Saudi maintained three of the world’s 10 busiest air routes: Jeddah–Cairo (second globally), Jeddah–Riyadh and Riyadh–Dubai.

Flight movements also saw strong growth, with Saudi airports recording 980,400 flights in 2025, up 8.3% compared to the previous year.

Saudia ranks second worldwide for on-time arrivals in 2025

Jeddah airport breaks Saudi passenger record with 53.4 million

GACA credited the record performance to expanded connectivity, sustained investment and network growth driven by new national carriers such as Riyadh Air and the Air Arabia Alliance. Saudia added 11 routes in 2025, surpassing 100 destinations, while Flynas launched more than 15 routes across seven countries. Flyadeal grew its network by 66% to about 159 routes and recorded a 33% rise in passenger numbers.

Momentum is set to continue into 2026 and beyond. Delta Air Lines will launch Atlanta-Riyadh non-stop flights in October 2026, marking its first-ever service to the kingdom, while Riyadh Air will officially launch in April, with Riyadh-London Heathrow and Riyadh-Dubai flights, and plans to roll out 100 destinations by 2030.

Riyadh Air

To accommodate surging demand, Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has completed upgrades across terminals 1 and 2, boosting capacity by 130% to serve 14 million passengers annually. Meanwhile, the new King Salman International Airport is progressing through a US$30 billion expansion that will feature six runways and capacity for up to 120 million passengers per year by 2030.

Saudi’s strong aviation performance is part of a broader regional upswing. Middle East air passenger traffic is estimated to have risen around 5.9% year-on-year to 466 million travellers in 2025, surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time, with the outlook for 2026 pointing to a further 6.1% rise in passenger volumes as the region leads global airline profitability, according to IATA.

For more information, visit gaca.gov.sa