UAE Civil Aviation Sector Achieves Record Growth in the First Half of 2025
According to the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the country’s civil aviation sector showed significant growth in the first half of 2025. Passenger traffic, air cargo volume, and air traffic movements all saw notable increases compared to the same period last year.
Passenger Numbers Reach 75.4 Million
Between January and June, UAE airports handled 75.4 million passengers, a 5% increase from 71.7 million in the same period of 2024. January alone recorded an all-time high monthly traffic of 13.7 million passengers.
15 New International Routes
National carriers expanded their global networks during this period, adding a total of 15 new destinations, including Russia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Croatia, and Ethiopia.
Support from Industry Leaders
Abdullah bin Tuk El Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the GCAA, attributed the sector’s success to the vision of “smart leadership,” noting that aviation is a strategic driver for the UAE economy in terms of tourism, trade, investment, and employment. El Marri emphasized that open skies policies, a flexible regulatory framework, and strong infrastructure investments will continue to strengthen global connectivity.
Air Traffic and Cargo Volume Increase
In the first half of 2025, air traffic movements rose by 6.2% to 531,000. The busiest routes were Riyadh, Jeddah, Kuwait, Mumbai, and Bahrain.
Air cargo volume increased by 4.74%, exceeding 2.2 million tonnes, with national carriers handling 67% of this volume.
160 Million Passenger Capacity
GCAA Director General Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi highlighted that the results reflect the strength of the UAE’s aviation infrastructure and the integrated work of airports, airlines, and air navigation service providers. Al Suwaidi noted that the total annual capacity of airports across the country exceeds 160 million passengers.
