EXCLUSIVE: Economic growth ramps up private aviation flights in Saudi Arabia, says Airbus

Saudi Arabia saw a strong 20.9% increase in business aircraft departures during the first 10 months of 2025 driven by strong economic growth, according to findings of a survey conducted by Airbus Corporate Jets.

The study revealed that private aviation demand is picking up in Saudi-based corporates, hedge funds, private equity firms and family offices.

Over the past two years, 80% of all Saudi-based survey respondents said their use of corporate jets had increased by between 25% and 50%, with the remaining 20% reporting an even steeper rise of 50% to 75% .

All respondents expect their aviation usage to grow by at least 25% in the next two years, with nearly two-thirds (64%) anticipating an increase of 50% or more.

The research was conducted amongst senior professionals based in Saudi Arabia, comprising 13 senior executives at some of the largest corporations in Saudi Arabia and 12 Saudi-based family offices, hedge funds and private equity firms with a combined assets under management of $55bn.

“Saudi Arabia is on a long-term journey to transform and diversify its economy, and this is resulting in some strong economic growth. That is driving demand for business aviation, which has become a cornerstone of growth and global connectivity,” said Chadi Saade, president of Airbus Corporate Jets.

“It not only delivers time savings and productivity gains but also allows organizations to extend opportunities to more employees and to contribute meaningfully to philanthropic missions. ACJ’s mission is to serve clients who are using business aviation not just to advance their businesses, but also to enhance lives – both for the wellbeing of their employees and supporting the needs of wider communities.”

All of the survey participants expect to increase the number of their global offices, while 80% of family offices reported that they have already expanded to new jurisdictions. Airbus says that business aviation is providing the foundation for this international reach.

The findings also indicate that more than half (56%) of respondents said that at least half of their business aviation trips are to destinations not served by commercial airlines.

When asked about productivity, all agreed that work performance is improved when flying privately, with 88% reporting gains of 25% to 50%. The main benefits identified were greater flexibility to work securely on board and more control over scheduling.

If you want to learn more about private aviation in Saudi Arabia, please reach out to Ollie at ollie@cji.com to get the passes to attend our two-day conference in Riyadh starting December 10th. 

You can look through the agenda here.