By 2029, the Middle East aviation market size is expected to reach USD 33.7 billion. By 2042, global passenger numbers are expected to reach nearly 20 billion.
According to the ACI World Airport Traffic Forecast, 45% of all passengers that year will be international, and that number is projected to rise to 46% by 2052. Air passenger numbers in the African region are expected to reach 261 million in 2025 and will double by 2040. The global airport body says Africa's needs exceed US$32 billion, and the pace of required new greenfield airport investment accounts for nearly 40% of this.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Director-General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Airline and Group, the Middle East, Africa and The largest B2B platform. The South Asia region will encourage global companies to once again introduce cutting-edge technologies and innovations aimed at improving airport operations and enhancing safety, enhancing passenger experience and sustainability, and expanding automation. .
The annual multi-event airport industry platform is supported by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Airports, Dubai Aviation Engineering Project, Emirates Airline, Dubai Air Navigation Services, dnata and others.
According to Global Data, a London-based analytics firm that tracks airport construction projects, 48 airport renovations, expansions and new projects are already underway in the Arabian Gulf region, valued at US$182.6 billion.
Two major airport developments are underway in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, which will boast an impressive airport capacity of 260 million and 185 million passengers per year, respectively. Dubai has begun construction of the world's largest airport terminal, with 400 gates and five parallel runways, at a cost of US$35 billion.
Saudi Arabia aims to carry 300 million passengers by 2030, and is also constructing a $50 billion megahub, King Salman International Airport, in Riyadh, which will eventually have a capacity to carry 300 million passengers when completed in 2030. It aims to become the world's largest airport. Two megaprojects account for nearly 80% of airport development spending across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Saudi Arabia leads the Middle East's airport construction sector with USD 7.5 billion in ongoing projects as of 2023. Kuwait follows with US$4.5 billion in ongoing airport projects, followed by Iraq in third place.
abha airport
Once completed, Saudi Arabia's new Abha Airport project will have the capacity to handle more than 13 million passengers per year, an almost tenfold increase from the current number of 1.5 million passengers. In Oman, Musandam Airport is being built at a cost of US$250 million and is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2026. The Red Sea International Airport, located on Saudi Arabia's west coast, is expected to be fully completed in 2030 and able to accommodate one million passengers a year at full capacity. The number of passengers per hour is 900.
Sharjah International Airport
In the UAE, terminal construction at Sharjah International Airport is scheduled to be completed by 2026. Bahrain is evaluating a project to develop a 40 million-passenger international airport terminal to replace its existing hub airport. In Kuwait, a new triangular terminal with 28 gates is expected to become operational in 2025/2026, increasing the airport's passenger numbers by up to 50 million passengers a year. Three major airports are scheduled to open in Iraq by 2025. The three-runway Beirut International Airport is planned to reach a capacity of 20 million passengers by 2030, according to the website of national carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA). When the terminal opens in late 2025, its capacity is expected to increase by 1 million passengers per year, according to an August 2024 CAPA (Center for Aviation) report. Egypt wants to expand the capacity of its airport infrastructure to handle 72.2 million passengers by 2025.
south asia
In South Asia, the majority of airports are located in India, the world's most populous country. India currently has a total of 137 airports including 24 international airports. India has two major airport projects in various stages of implementation at Jewar and Navi Mumbai near New Delhi, and up to 15 other airport projects are underway. The number of domestic air passengers in India is expected to reach up to 300 million by 2030, and up to 240 airports, including helipads and sea airfields, will be built. It plans to invest US$11 billion in airport infrastructure and increase the number of operational airports to 200 by the end of 2025.
Africa
In Africa, Ethiopia has begun the process of building Africa's largest airport by 2030. Morocco aims to increase airport passenger capacity by a staggering 80 million passengers per year by 2035 through the expansion and modernization of existing airport infrastructure. Importantly, the value of Middle East and Africa Airport Infrastructure Market is expected to reach USD 15,308.82 million by 2030.
“The Middle East continues to be one of the world's fastest growing hubs for the civil aviation industry, due to its unwavering commitment to airport and airline development, and because it stands at the crossroads of new global travel. Regional airports continue to lead the way in the adoption of new technologies due to their unwavering commitment to airport and airline development and to a new crossroads in global travel.
Over the past 23 years, the Airport Show has proven to be the best platform for procuring all the essentials needed by the region's current 110 airports. The 24th Airport Show will continue to climb the ladder of remarkable success,” said May Ismail, event manager at RX, a global company that organizes around 400 events across 42 industry sectors in 22 countries, including the Airport Show. he said. “For airports in the Middle East, the focus is not on surviving, but on thriving and making a difference.”
Airports aren't the only ones expanding and improving. With global passenger traffic expected to reach nearly 20 billion passengers in 2042, double the 2024 forecast, in 2023 the 10 largest airlines in the Middle East will A joint order has been placed for the delivery of new aircraft.
Global passenger traffic is expected to reach nearly 25 billion in 2052, according to the ACI World Airport Traffic Forecast (WATF) 2023-2052, which provides insight into more than 141 global long-term airport transportation demands. This is approximately 2.5 times the forecast for 2024. countries around the world. By 2040, Middle East airports will handle 1.1 billion passengers, and the Middle East and Asia-Pacific will account for 58 percent of global air passenger demand. According to IATA, Middle Eastern airlines will earn a record profit of $23.1 per passenger in 2024, compared to the average net profit per passenger of global airlines ($6.4 in 2024 and $7.9 in 2023). It became three times as much.
middle east
The Middle East airline will end 2024 with an estimated net profit of $5.3 billion, up from its previous forecast of $3.8 billion, and is expected to report 2023 net profit of $3.1 billion. Regional airlines in the Arabian Gulf, in particular, are confident that demand for air travel will continue to be strong in 2024, that government policies aimed at fostering international tourism growth, investing in airport upgrades, and increasing the contribution of the aviation sector will continue to be strong in 2024. In the background, GDP will be a profitable year. Middle Eastern airlines are forecast to have a net profit of US$5.9 billion in 2025, with profits per passenger soaring to US$23.9, more than three times the global average forecast of US$7 for 2025.
Cirium, a popular source of aviation analysis, says in its latest report: The Middle East is focused on passenger experience and is poised to set new standards in the global aviation community. ” Furthermore, “Innovation is not limited to the development of new technologies. The Middle East's aviation industry is also pioneering new approaches to training and passenger experience. We expect to see further innovation from the region in the coming years. We hope that this will lead to significant progress.”
He added: “From developing hydrogen-fueled aircraft to enabling seamless, touchless travel experiences, the Middle East's aviation industry is pushing the boundaries. The Middle East's aviation success story is one of vision, collaboration and innovation. A sign of strength. As the region continues to invest in infrastructure and technology, the Middle East is setting its sights firmly on the horizon and taking the global aviation industry to new heights. We are ready to move up.”