File photo of Hamad International Airport
Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s aviation sector posted another month of solid growth in November 2025, with new data from the Civil Aviation Authority showing increases across aircraft movements, passenger traffic, and cargo volumes, underscoring the country’s continued rise as a global transit and tourism hub.
Preliminary figures indicate aircraft movements rose 6.2 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 24,020, up from 22,610 a year earlier. Passenger numbers climbed even more sharply, expanding 8.1 percent to 4.575 million compared to 4.231 million in November 2024, while air cargo and mail traffic grew 3.9 percent to 235,355 tonnes.
Commenting on the figures, Khamis Abdullah Alkhelaifi, Ground Instructor at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), said the November results reflect broader global and regional momentum in air travel. He noted that global passenger demand rose by more than eight percent, outpacing capacity growth of around 5.7 percent.
“This means airlines are filling a larger proportion of their seats, which suggests that demand remains robust, perhaps even outstripping their ability to add seats,” he told The Peninsula. “The load-factor peak of 83.4 percent highlights that airlines are operating more efficiently and improving yields while reducing unit costs.”
Alkhelaifi said that November stands out as one of the strongest months relative to earlier periods, including 2024, particularly in terms of passenger demand and seat utilisation efficiency.
He highlighted three key improvements, including stronger passenger demand, record-high load factors, and moderate yet sustainable capacity growth.
“Passenger demand grew at more than eight percent year-on-year, and since this growth outpaced capacity increases, it shows true demand pull and not just more seats being offered,” he explained. He also stressed that Doha continued to benefit from strong international connectivity, supported by Qatar Airways’ network expansion and codeshare partnerships across Africa and Asia.
According to the aviation expert, the month’s resilience is also tied to four factors, like the demand rising faster than capacity; record load factors despite global challenges; Doha’s strengthening position as a regional super-hub; and growing tourism and business travel into Qatar. He said these trends demonstrate increasing global confidence in the sector, adding that Doha competes strongly with major hubs such as Dubai, Istanbul, and Riyadh.
He emphasised that the economic implications, however, are significant. “Aviation impacts GDP through multiple channels. Direct contributions come from increased airline revenues, airport service activity, and higher cargo throughput,” he said.
Indirect benefits flow through tourism, hotels, restaurants, malls, cultural sites, and the expanding MICE sector, all gain from rising passenger volumes. Induced benefits arise from job creation and higher household spending linked to aviation growth.
“Connectivity itself is a GDP multiplier,” Alkhelaifi said, noting Qatar’s continued progress as a logistics gateway and business hub, factors that attract foreign investment, regional head offices, and trade flows. He said the latest statistics align closely with Qatar’s long-term travel and economic diversification strategies. Passenger demand growth reflects rising tourism and strong transfer traffic, while high load factors demonstrate improved operational efficiency through Hamad International Airport’s hub-and-spoke model. Moderate capacity expansion indicates sustainable sectoral growth, and enhanced connectivity reinforces Qatar’s position as a global connector between East and West.
“All these developments support non-energy GDP and contribute to Qatar National Vision 2030,” Alkhelaifi said, adding that the sector’s continued strength shows that the country is successfully positioning itself as a resilient, high-value aviation and tourism leader in the region.
