Middle East aviation market briefing
Monthly Middle Eastern airline data updates
September 2026
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How much airline capacity does the Middle East have in 2026?
Monthly scheduled capacity: September 2025 vs September 2026
Are low cost carriers growing in the Middle East?
Low Cost Carriers represent 27% of the market in the region and reduced capacity by 2.4% vs last year.
Mainline carriers account for the remaining 73% of the capacity in the market and contracted by 4.1% vs last year to 26.2m seats.
Mainline vs low-cost
Which Middle Eastern country has the most airline seats?
Saudi Arabia is the largest market in the region, with 7.3m seats, an increase of 4% in capacity vs last year.
Capacity in United Arab Emirates is down by 9% vs Sept 25 (676,000 fewer seats).
Within the Top 10 countries, capacity continues to grow at the fastest rate in Israel, increasing by 14.7% to 1.4m seats in Sept 26.
Capacity contracted by a further 24.5% in Iran this month (296,600 fewer seats) and 25.7% in Kuwait (247,600 fewer seats) vs Sept 25.
Top 10 countries by seat capacity
Top country gains in September 2026: Three countries in the top 10 grew capacity. Saudi Arabia, the largest market, grew 4.0% (+283,186 seats) to 7.34m seats. Israel grew most strongly at +14.7% (+180,945 seats) to 1.41m seats. Jordan also grew at +7.9% (+45,660 seats) to 0.62m seats.
Top country losses in September 2026: Kuwait saw the sharpest percentage decline, down 25.6% (247,646 fewer seats). Iran fell 24.5% (296,595 fewer seats). UAE fell 9.0% (675,964 fewer seats), Qatar 6.8%, Bahrain 6.4%, Lebanon 2.3%, and Oman 1.2%.
Which is the biggest airline in the Middle East?
Emirates remains the largest airline in the region, with the network carrier handling 2.9m seats, a reduction of 10% vs September 25.
Saudi Arabian Airlines is a close second, with 2.8m seats, with a smaller reduction of 1% in capacity
Within the Top 10 carriers in the Middle East, Royal Jordanian, flyadeal and Etihad Airways increased capacity at the fastest rate, by 30%, 16% and 11% respectively vs last year. As highlighted in recent blogs, flyadeal has been expanding within the domestic Saudi market and with it's growing fleet Etihad is expanding across regional and intercontinental markets, introducing 14 new routes this summer.
Seat capacity by airline
Amongst the Top 10 carriers in the Middle East, Royal Jordanian, flyadeal and Etihad Airways recorded the strongest capacity growth this month, increasing by 29.7%, 15.9% and 11.1% respectively vs last year. Gulf Air also grew at +4.0%. As highlighted in recent commentary, flyadeal has been expanding within the domestic Saudi market and with its growing fleet Etihad is expanding across regional and intercontinental markets. Emirates remains the largest carrier with 2.93m seats despite a reduction of 9.9%, and Flydubai fell most sharply at −18.3%.
Top 10 Middle East airlines by seats — September 2026
| No | Airline | Seats (Sep 2026) | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Emirates | 2.93m | −9.9% |
| 2. | Saudi Arabian Airlines | 2.80m | −0.6% |
| 3. | Qatar Airways | 2.59m | −2.1% |
| 4. | Etihad Airways | 1.35m | +11.1% |
| 5. | FLYNAS | 1.21m | −11.3% |
| 6. | flyadeal | 1.16m | +15.9% |
| 7. | Flydubai | 1.05m | −18.3% |
| 8. | Air Arabia | 0.83m | −8.5% |
| 9. | Gulf Air | 0.55m | +4.0% |
| 10. | Royal Jordanian | 0.49m | +29.7% |
What is the busiest airport in the Middle East?
Dubai (DXB) remains the region's largest airport, handling 4.3m seats. Capacity is still behind Sept 25, by 15.2%, 776,400 fewer seats.
Jeddah and Doha are a close second and third busiest airports with 2.6m and 2.5m seats respectively, despite a reduction in capacity of 6.8% vs last year for the latter.
Volume wise, Kuwait saw the second largest reduction in capacity, with 247,600 fewer seats, a 25.6% reduction in capacity vs September 25.
Capacity increased at the fastest rate at Tel Aviv, increasing by 11.9%, followed by Abu Dhabi's Zayed International and Riyadh growing by 9.8% and 7.4% vs last year respectively.
| No | Code | Airport | Seats | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | DXB | Dubai International | 4.34m | −15.2% |
| 2. | JED | Jeddah | 2.64m | +1.8% |
| 3. | DOH | Doha (QA) | 2.54m | −6.8% |
| 4. | RUH | Riyadh King Khalid Intl | 2.36m | +7.4% |
| 5. | AUH | Zayed International | 1.63m | +9.8% |
| 6. | TLV | Tel Aviv-yafo Ben Gurion International | 1.35m | +11.9% |
| 7. | SHJ | Sharjah | 0.82m | −2.6% |
| 8. | KWI | Kuwait | 0.72m | −25.6% |
| 9. | DMM | Dammam (SA) | 0.70m | −2.9% |
| 10. | MCT | Muscat | 0.66m | −2.4% |
Source: OAG · hover chart or click a table row to cross-highlight
Four airports in the top 10 grew capacity in September 2026: Tel Aviv (+11.9% to 1.35m seats), Abu Dhabi (+9.8% to 1.63m seats), Riyadh (+7.4% to 2.36m seats), and Jeddah (+1.8% to 2.64m seats). Dubai remains the largest airport at 4.34m seats despite a 15.2% decline (776,366 fewer seats).
Volume wise, Kuwait had the second largest reduction in capacity, with 247,646 fewer seats, a 25.6% reduction vs September 2025. Doha also declined by 6.8%.
Middle East aviation: frequently asked questions
Data is sourced from OAG's Schedules Analyser.
Download this month's data
Capacity across the Middle East this months remains below Sept 25 by 3.7%, at 36m seats.
International capacity, which represents 87.3% of the market, is down by 5% vs Sept 25 to 31.4m seats, 1.7m fewer seats.
Domestic capacity represents 12.7% of the market and grew by 6.9% vs Sept 25.