Jeddah airport records highest ever passenger numbers

Passenger numbers at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah hit a record 41.2 million in 2018, the highest annual number in its history, said a report.

Passenger traffic was up 20 per cent compared to 2017, during which 34 million passengers travelled through the airport, a report in Arab News said, citing figures released by KAIA.

The figures also showed that the airport handled 340,333 flights in 2018.

The South Terminal saw its highest number of passengers in 2018, with 23.1 million people travelling through it, while 10.5 million passengers travelled through the North Terminal, the report said.

The report also showed that 7.3 million passengers travelled through the complex of the Hajj and Umrah terminals, and 385,729 passengers travelled through the new Terminal 1.

"The economic renaissance in Saudi Arabia and visits by pilgrims to the holy places via KAIA, which serves as the gate to the Two Holy Mosques, has made it a vital departure point for passengers and international airlines," the report said citing the airport’s general director, Essam bin Fouad Nour.

“I expect the airport to see additional growth in the coming years,” he said.