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Aviation competition grows

29 July 2025

Commentary
Colin Foreman
Editor

Read the August issue of MEED Business Review

On 17 April, Istanbul airport became the first airport outside of the US to commence triple runway operations, which means the airport now supports simultaneous take-offs and landings on three runways.

Hourly air traffic capacity has increased from 120 to 148 movements an hour, enhancing Istanbul airport’s competitiveness as a global aviation hub. 

Along with the rapidly expanding Turkish Airlines, the airport – which aims to ultimately have a capacity of 200 million passengers a year – has established itself as a key player in the global aviation market. This puts it in competition with the airports and airlines of the Gulf, which vie for much of the same transit business. 

As the competition grows, Dubai is expanding its own airport capacity. In May 2024, it relaunched the $33bn Al-Maktoum International airport expansion, which eventually aims to cater to 260 million passengers a year. 

The plan is for the airport to replace the existing Dubai International airport, giving Dubai much greater capacity. Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, which is overseeing the construction of the airport, says arrivals capacity will be quadrupled to 160 movements an hour and departure capacity increased over fivefold to 200 movements an hour.

Saudi Arabia has emerged as an ambitious and well-funded challenger

Dubai also faces competition from within the region. It already competes with transit hubs in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Muscat, and now Saudi Arabia has emerged as an ambitious and well-funded challenger for the future. In Riyadh, the plan is to expand the existing King Khalid International airport to become King Salman International airport, which aims to accommodate up to 120 million passengers by 2030 and 185 million by 2050.

Both the Al-Maktoum and King Salman airport projects are now moving into construction, with a series of key appointments across both projects this year. As competition in global aviation grows, the pressure to deliver these projects will build.

READ THE AUGUST 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

Gulf heads into a new era of aviation; Maghreb’s resilience rises despite global pressures; GCC banks expand issuance amid demand

Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

> MAGHREB MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb pushes for stability
To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
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Colin Foreman

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