The civil aviation sector in the United Arab Emirates has recorded significant growth across key performance indicators during the first half of 2025, with passenger traffic, air cargo, and air traffic movements showing strong results that affirm the sector’s strength and ongoing development.
According to civil aviation sector performance indicators for H1 2025, airports across the UAE welcomed 75.4 million passengers during the first six months of the year, up from 71.7 million passengers during the same period in 2024, representing a 5 percent increase.
January recorded the highest number of passengers, exceeding 13.7 million travellers.
UAE national carriers continued their global expansion during the first half of 2025, launching flights to 15 new destinations across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The new cities include destinations in Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Croatia, and Ethiopia — further cementing the UAE’s status as a leading global aviation hub.
On this occasion, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, and Chairman of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), stated, "Thanks to the directives of our wise leadership, the UAE continues to enhance its global and regional standing as an international aviation hub, posting unprecedented growth rates driven by innovative national initiatives and strategies.
This has significantly strengthened the country’s competitiveness and leadership in this vital sector, which today represents a key pillar for driving economic growth, diversifying income sources, and supporting trade, tourism, investment, and job creation across all aviation-linked sectors."
He added, “The performance indicators for the first half of 2025 reflect the resilience and sustainability of the aviation sector, as well as the competitiveness of the UAE’s airports, national carriers, and air navigation services. We see aviation as a bridge connecting the UAE to the world and a key enabler for achieving our long-term economic objectives. We will continue working to expand the country's air connectivity with global markets, supported by a flexible and advanced regulatory framework, ambitious open skies policies, and ongoing infrastructure development plans.”
Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of GCAA, stated, "Thanks to the guidance and unwavering support of our wise leadership, the aviation sector is advancing steadily towards greater growth and prosperity. These positive indicators highlight the strength of our aviation infrastructure and the effectiveness of integrated efforts by all our partners — including airports, airlines, and air navigation service providers."
Al Suwaidi added, “We are proud to continue achieving stable growth rates in both passenger and cargo traffic, supported by ambitious development projects to keep pace with this expansion. The total passenger handling capacity of the country’s airports now exceeds 160 million, and we are confident that the aviation sector will continue to play a pivotal role in supporting the national economy, boosting tourism and trade, and reinforcing the UAE’s position as a leading air transport hub regionally and globally.”
In detail, air traffic in the UAE continued its growth during the first half of the current year, recording 531,000 movements — a 6.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year, which saw nearly 500,000 movements. Riyadh, Jeddah, Kuwait, Mumbai, and Bahrain ranked as the top five busiest destinations in terms of weekly flights to and from the UAE.
Regarding air cargo, the total volume handled across the country’s airports exceeded 2.2 million tons, marking a 4.74 percent growth compared to the same period last year, with national carriers accounting for 67 percent of the total cargo traffic.
WAM