Middle East & Africa: Top 50 Largest Airports in 2021 by Number of Flights
Since Corona still has a massive impact on airlines and airports around the globe, many rankings look different. However, we wanted to know the details. Therefore, we’ve analyzed the traffic figure of the Middle East’s and Africa’s airports from February to July 2021. As a result, we present Asia’s Top 50 Largest Airports in 2021.
Summary
We’ve summarized some essential, in case you don’t have time to go through the entire ranking.
Dubai is no longer #1
Due to COVID-19, Dubai lost the title of the largest airport in the Middle East and Africa to Riyadh. This is because Riyadh benefits from strong domestic traffic in Saudi Arabia, whereas Dubai heavily suffers from non-existent international traffic. Nevertheless, Riyadh operated only 100 flights than Dubai. Accordingly, it will be interesting to see if and when Dubai reconquers the title.
Saudi Arabia plays an important role
13 of the 50 biggest airports in the Middle East and Africa can be found in Saudi Arabia. Again, this is a direct result of COVID.
Many airports with meager flight volume
Regardless of the country, many airports operated at a very low flight volume level — especially compared to other regions like Asia or North America. As a result, more than 30 airports operated less than 35 daily flights.
Middle East & Africa — Largest Airports: Rank 1-10
| Rank | IATA | Airport | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RUH | Riyadh | 34.5K |
| 2 | DXB | Dubai | 34.4K |
| 3 | DOH | Doha | 34.1K |
| 4 | JED | Jeddah | 29.2K |
| 5 | JNB | Johannesburg | 21.8K |
| 6 | CAI | Cairo | 19.6K |
| 7 | ADD | Addis Ababa | 18.5K |
| 8 | DMM | Dammam | 12.8K |
| 9 | DAR | Dar Es Salaam | 12.5K |
| 10 | NBO | Nairobi | 12.3K |
Middle East & Africa — Largest Airports: Rank 11-20
| Rank | IATA | Airport | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | LOS | Lagos | 11.4K |
| 12 | AUH | Abu Dhabi | 10.9K |
| 13 | SHJ | Sharjah | 9.9K |
| 14 | CPT | Cape Town | 9.6K |
| 15 | ABV | Abuja | 8.8K |
| 16 | AMM | Amman | 8.0K |
| 17 | ACC | Accra | 7.4K |
| 18 | KWI | Kuwait | 7.3K |
| 19 | BEY | Beirut | 7.2K |
| 20 | KRT | Khartoum | 6.4K |
Middle East & Africa — Largest Airports: Rank 21-30
| Rank | IATA | Airport | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | MCT | Muscat | 6.3K |
| 22 | AHB | Abha | 5.9K |
| 23 | TUN | Tunis | 5.8K |
| 24 | IKA | Tehran | 5.6K |
| 25 | BGW | Baghdad | 4.8K |
| 26 | BAH | Bahrain | 4.5K |
| 27 | DSS | Dakar | 4.4K |
| 28 | DUR | Durban | 4.3K |
| 29 | ABJ | Abidjan | 4.2K |
| 30 | EBB | Entebbe | 4.2K |
Middle East & Africa — Largest Airports: Rank 31-40
| Rank | IATA | Airport | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | GIZ | Jazan | 3.8K |
| 32 | MED | Madinah | 3.5K |
| 33 | KGL | Kigali | 2.4K |
| 34 | TUU | Tabuk | 2.3K |
| 35 | ZNZ | Zanzibar | 1.9K |
| 36 | EBL | Erbil | 1.9K |
| 37 | SSH | Sharm El-Sheikh | 1.9K |
| 38 | BKO | Bamako | 1.3K |
| 39 | FIH | Kinshasa | 1.3K |
| 40 | BJR | Bahar Dar | 1.2K |
Middle East & Africa — Largest Airports: Rank 41-50
| Rank | IATA | Airport | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | HRG | Hurghada | 1.1K |
| 42 | HAS | Hail | 1.0K |
| 43 | EAM | Nejran | 0.9K |
| 44 | AJF | Jouf | 0.9K |
| 45 | TIF | Taif | 0.8K |
| 46 | DIR | Dire Dawa | 0.8K |
| 47 | JIJ | Jijiga | 0.7K |
| 48 | BHH | Bisha | 0.7K |
| 49 | GDQ | Gonder | 0.6K |
| 50 | ABT | Al Baha | 0.5K |
What’s your Opinion?
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Used Data
The shown information is based on OAG data and internal data sources. EMEA refers to airlines or airports based in Europe, the Middle East, or Africa.
