Arab News, Saturday, Apr 08, 2023 | Ramadan 17, 1444
Saudi aviation cements pandemic recovery with 82% passenger surge in 2022: GASTAT
Saudi Arabia: Air travel in Saudi
Arabia is soaring thanks to an 82 percent surge in passengers to 88 million in
2022 compared to the previous 12 months, according to the General Authority of
Statistics.
According to the report, King Abdulaziz
International Airport in Jeddah emerged as the busiest airport in Saudi Arabia
in 2022, as it handled 32 million passengers.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh came
in second, with about 27 million passengers, followed by King Fahd International
Airport in Dammam, with about 10 million.
In 2022, the average number of daily flights
arriving and departing at international airports was 131.29 and at domestic
airports was 5.94.
The impressive recovery in the aviation sector
after the universal pandemic also pushed the ancillary companies to new heights.
The number of companies involved in air transport
activities such as passenger movement, cargo handling, and other transit support
activities touched 1,443 — an increase of 20 percent over 2021.
The Air Transport Statistics Publication further
highlighted the improving employment scenario in the sector.
The number of female employees in these companies
increased by 70 percent to 4,000 last year compared to the earlier year. The
headcount of male employees, on the other hand, rose 38 percent to 28,000.
The report also threw some surprises on the
private aviation front as flights on these aircraft increased 41 percent to
64,000 in 2022.
“King Khalid International Airport recorded the
highest number of private flights in 2022 by 32 percent compared to other
airports,” the report stated.
Commercial flights undoubtedly held the chunkier
pie with 701,000 during the period under review, which also clocked 41 percent
over the earlier year.
Meanwhile, international air freight was also
northbound in 2022 — a reflection of an economy putting the pedal to the metal —
as it picked up 12 percent to 559,000 tons in 2022 from 2021.
The report added that the Netherlands registered
the highest number of international cargo departures for 2021 and 2022.