The Arab aviation sector takes off: soaring toward $730 billion by 2043

The Arab skies are expanding fast. By 2043, the aviation industry across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) is expected to more than double its economic contribution, reaching $730 billion. Once merely a mode of transport, aviation is now emerging as a strategic pillar of regional growth and diversification.

According to the latest forecasts, the sector’s economic contribution will surge by more than 150 % over the next two decades. Passenger traffic is projected to exceed 530 million travelers annually, growing at an average rate of 3.9 % per year. This expansion will create millions of direct and indirect jobs, spanning logistics, tourism, maintenance, and airport services, confirming that aviation has become a core driver of non-oil economic growth across the Arab world.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia lead the way

Unsurprisingly, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia dominate the regional skies, generating over $180 billion in 2023. Global hubs like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh already connect three continents, while ambitious new projects such as Riyadh Air and the King Salman International Airport are reshaping the region’s aviation map ahead of 2030. Egypt has recorded the fastest growth rate up 200 % in just seven years. Infrastructure upgrades, the revival of EgyptAir, and a post-pandemic tourism boom have transformed the country into a rising aviation hub linking Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

Lebanon: potential in waiting

In Lebanon, aviation remains a vital yet underutilized sector. Despite ongoing economic turmoil, Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport continues to rank among the busiest in the eastern Mediterranean, welcoming over 7 million passengers in 2024, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

A rebound in tourism, new routes to Europe and the Gulf, and renewed discussions around the Qleiaat Airport project could help position Lebanon as a complementary hub along the Levant–Gulf corridor.

To achieve this, however, the country must modernize its infrastructure, rebuild airline confidence, and stabilize its regulatory and energy frameworks.

Across the Arab world, aviation is entering a historic transformation. By 2043, the sector could represent nearly 10 % of the region’s combined GDP.

While Gulf carriers are driving the momentum, Lebanon still has the potential to reclaim its role within the regional air network a symbol of an economy seeking to take off once again.