Saudi Arabia remains the leading country in the Middle East in terms of air traffic volume, travel industry sources told Arab News.
The sources attribute this to the large number of pilgrims traveling to the Kingdom to perform Umrah during Ramadan and in consequence the increase in the number of flights to Saudi Arabia prompted by the demand.
Emirates Airline, for instance, operates nearly 60 additional flights during Ramadan. An additional 42 services began operating flights to Jeddah from July 5 until Aug. 16, while extra flights are operating to the holy city of Madinah beginning July 6 through the end of the month.
“The growing domestic routes in Saudi Arabia are not only supported by the Kingdom’s vast geographical size but also the thousands of pilgrims who travel within the country,” an expert said, adding that the Kingdom’s busiest route is Jeddah-Riyadh.
In 2012, the 25 million passengers who began their journey from the Kingdom accounted for 25 percent of the total passenger traffic in the Middle East.
The United Arab Emirates followed a close second, commanding 23 percent of the regional market share, serving as the point of origin for 23.1 million passengers. Qatar represented five percent of the region’s air traffic market with 4.74 million travelers. It also led the way as far as passenger volume growth is concerned.
Representing 5 percent of the region’s air traffic, with 4.74 million travelers, Qatar led the way in terms of passenger volume growth.
The sources added that intercontinental travelers from Saudi Arabia accounted for 31 percent, as the market topped the list of all Middle Eastern countries in terms of total domestic travelers — 11.1 million passengers flown, representing 44 percent of passenger volume.
Saudi Arabia leading air travel market in region
