Jeddah’s KAIA passenger levels surge 36% in 2023 to hit record high
Updated 03 January 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: Passenger numbers at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz International Airport hit a record high of 42.7 million in 2023, a 36 percent increase from the previous year.
The total number of flights through the Jeddah-based facility reached 250,000, up 25 percent compared to 2022, which did not exceed 200,000.
Terminal 1 topped the list with 179,900 flights in 2023, a 16 percent increase on the 154,600 seen over the previous 12 months.
According to a 2023 statistical report, KAIA handled more than 33.8 million bags during the year.
The number of international destinations increased by more than 11 percent during 2023 to reach 126 international locations operated to and from the airport, compared to 114 in 2022.
Cairo to Jeddah flights claimed the leading position among worldwide routes, providing 4.8 million seats and standing as the second busiest international route globally.
The course from Riyadh to Jeddah witnessed the highest demand for domestic getaways, providing 7.8 million seats and ranking as the eighth busiest domestic route worldwide.
The figures indicate the swift expansion of operational activity at KAIA, accompanied by efforts to enhance the infrastructure, with the aim of providing an easy and accessible traveler experience.
In 2023, Jeddah Airports experienced a peak in operational traffic on June 22, registering 151,000 passengers, surpassing the busiest day in 2022, which saw 125,000 travelers.
Furthermore, the airport marked its most active week in 2023, from Dec. 24 to 30, with a total of 979,000 passengers.
In comparison, the busiest seven-day period in 2022 occurred from Nov. 26 to Dec. 2, which saw 815,000 travelers.
The growth aligns with the significant developmental strides across various sectors in the Kingdom, particularly in the tourism sector.
The increased number of passengers was also driven by facilitating visa procedures of various types, including pilgrims, Umrah performers, and tourists through the airport.
The facility acts as the entrance to the Two Holy Mosques, and its location has positioned it as a crucial departure point for travelers and international airlines.
Supplier hub to anchor Saudi car industry, says TASARU CEO
Updated 09 February 2026
Nada Alturki
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is stepping up efforts to localize automotive manufacturing, with its portfolio company TASARU announcing partnerships with five Tier-1 global suppliers to localize advanced component manufacturing in the Kingdom.
The agreements were announced at the fourth PIF Private Sector Forum in Riyadh. TASARU also revealed plans to establish a new Supplier Hub in the King Salman Automotive Cluster in King Abdullah Economic City, designed to support next-generation vehicle development and strengthen the national automotive ecosystem in alignment with Vision 2030.
TASARU also revealed plans to establish a new Supplier Hub in the King Salman Automotive Cluster in King Abdullah Economic City. Supplied
Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the forum, Michael Mueller, CEO of TASARU, said: “You cannot build cars without having the right partners from the supplier side, and with that, together with the OEMs, we selected the partners that we just announced today to localize them.”
He added that the presence of large international suppliers is expected to attract smaller Tier-2 and Tier-3 manufacturers, helping the ecosystem scale.
The five partners include Shin Young for metal stamping and body structures, JVIS for exterior plastics, and BENTELER for chassis and hot-formed steel components. Guangxi Fangxin will supply interior systems, while Lear Corp. completes the group, with all expected to establish manufacturing operations in the Kingdom.
Founded more than three years ago, TASARU was established to introduce new technologies into Saudi Arabia’s mobility sector. The company has prioritized localizing smaller OEM and supplier businesses while bringing next-generation solutions into the Kingdom.
Mueller said visible progress on factory construction by Ceer, Lucid and Hyundai is shifting perceptions about the sector’s viability.
“A lot of people on the sideline watched whether automotive is really happening,” he said. “Now they recognize that the factories … are under construction, so that’s the first signal that it’s not just the bubble. It’s not just PowerPoint. It’s getting real now on the ground.”
The CEO shares that KAEC is positioned as a hub for Saudi Arabia’s automotive industry, making it a strategic location for the TASARU Supplier Hub. The facility is designed to support OEMs and next-generation vehicles, including Ceer and Lucid Motors, through a shared, just-in-time manufacturing model with integrated logistics and regulatory support.
TASARU will provide infrastructure and operational support, while partners bring technical expertise and gradually develop training centers to build a local workforce, Mueller said.
He positioned Saudi Arabia as an attractive base for global suppliers because of its access to minerals and rare earth resources, energy availability and coordination across PIF portfolio companies and government entities.
“They have access to minerals. They have access to rare earth. They can benefit from what is already existing. They have stable energy solutions. I think this footprint might benefit from the whole ecosystem as it is, not just automotive,” he said.
Companies without a Saudi footprint risk missing a “huge opportunity,” Mueller added.
He said advancing the industry will require clearer regulatory frameworks, including defined trigger points and licensing pathways that allow companies to execute their mandates.
“Of course, you need to have more or less the regulatory framework to allow autonomous cars, sooner or later, on the streets. But it's happening, and this is a huge chance also for Saudi Arabia,” Muller said.
He added: “If you are advanced in bringing such regulations onto a fast track, then you have a huge opportunity to be one of the first countries that establish this.”
With rising traffic levels in Riyadh, Mueller said emerging mobility technologies could help solve first- and last-mile transportation challenges.
“If the Metro is already full, that is good because people are using it. Now, you have to connect the dots. You have to finally make sure that people get from home to the metros and or to the bus station. So this first last-mile transportation is something where new technologies might help to bridge that,” he said.
The CEO said the project is expected to take roughly one and a half to two years for suppliers to go live. More broadly, the initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s transition from investment attraction to full-scale industrial localization, strengthening local content, private-sector participation, and long-term industrial resilience in line with Vision 2030.
