Saudi Arabia’s aviation industry has become the Middle East’s fastest-growing, with its contribution to GDP rising more than 150 per cent to $91 billion since 2016 and employment more than doubling to 1.4 million jobs, according to new industry data.
The findings are published in a joint white paper by Aviation Business ME and GE Aerospace, which credits Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Aviation Strategy for transforming the Kingdom into one of the world’s most ambitious aviation markets. Backed by around $100 billion in government and private investment, the plan aims to triple annual passenger traffic to 330 million, extend connectivity to more than 250 destinations and lift air cargo volumes more than fivefold to 4.5 million tons by 2030.
Saudi leads regional aviation expansion
“The aviation sector is a major source for jobs while also supporting tourism, which has been shown to be one of the largest generators of income worldwide,” said Dr Dan Wong, an aviation consultant cited in the paper.
The study said the wider Middle East will post the fastest aviation expansion of any region, with total aviation-related GDP expected to climb 151 per cent to $730 billion by 2043. Employment across airlines, airports and related industries will grow 134 per cent to 9.4 million jobs, outpacing every other region. Passenger movements are projected to double to 530 million, supported by population growth, favourable geography and long term state investment.
Ryan Harmon, Editor of Aviation Business Middle East, said governments continuing to invest strategically “will reap outsized rewards in economic diversification, skilled job creation and global connectivity”.
The United Arab Emirates remains the region’s largest aviation economy, with the sector accounting for 18.2 per cent of GDP in 2023 and employing one third of all direct aviation workers in the Middle East. Dubai International retained its position as the world’s busiest airport for international passengers, while the country’s aviation ecosystem contributed nearly $92 billion to GDP.
Across the region, governments are pairing aviation expansion with sustainability and technology investment. The report highlights greater use of artificial intelligence in predictive maintenance and fuel optimisation, and a growing shift towards sustainable aviation fuel, with the UAE targeting 700 million litres of annual SAF production by 2030 and Saudi Arabia building infrastructure to support SAF development at NEOM.
Aziz Koleilat, President and Chief Executive for the Middle East, Türkiye and CIS at GE Aerospace, said the Gulf is “pioneering new models of industry development” by investing simultaneously in airlines, airports, infrastructure and maintenance capabilities.
With two of the world’s ten busiest international airports and hundreds of new aircraft on order, the paper concluded, the Middle East’s aviation sector is set to become one of the global economy’s most powerful engines of growth.
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