Contributor - Middle East

Peter Shaw-Smith

Business aviation flying in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states dipped by as much as 69% between late March and early May, in the immediate aftermath of the launch of U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28. Data from WingX released to AIN shows traffic at the region's airports subsequently regaining some ground, before falling again by 30% in August after the ceasefire terms of a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in June stalled.
Market uncertainty spiked again last month with the launch of Houthi attacks on Saudi&nbsp;civilian energy infrastructure, major airports, and military bases. Subsequently, business aircraft within Saudi Arabia moved away from the capital, with movements at the main Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (OERK) falling 32%, while Jeddah (OEJN) and Dammam (OEDF) rose 90% and 71%, respectively, WingX reported.
Compared with the same months in 2025, April was the most affected, with GCC movements falling 62%, followed by March and May at -56% each. Thanks to optimism about the MoU providing an off-ramp to end the war, June was the month least affected, with movements in the region down just 5% year over year.
Notably, no month has seen growth in the region since March. According to WingX, Gulf-registered jets flew less domestically since the war started—with the UAE down 38%; Qatar, -45%; and Saudi Arabia, -13%. By contrast, business aircraft movements between the GCC and Turkey were up 46%, followed by Spain, up 29%; U.S., +24%; UK and Switzerland, +11% each; and France, +7%.&nbsp;
<h2>Temporary Relocation</h2>
“Owners [were] spending the [summer] season in Europe and the U.S., not relocating permanently,” said WingX managing director Richard Koe at the Corporate Jet Investor Dubai conference today.
In the nearly seven months between March 1 and September 25, business jet departures were down 51% year-on-year in the UAE, 54% in Qatar and Bahrain, and 59% in Kuwait. Saudi Arabia fared better, falling only 24%, while only Turkey saw slight growth of 1%.
In the same period, Muscat (OOMS), seen as a safe haven at the outbreak of the war, and Dammam (OEDF) were the only airports to register departure growth of 9% and 7%, respectively. Meanwhile, Zayed Abu Dhabi (OMAA), Al Maktoum (OMDW), Sharjah (OMSJ), and Dubai International (OMDW) airports all registered departure drops of 50% or more, with Hamad International (OTHH) the worst performer, falling by 85%.
“The winter season is coming up, and that's where we should see the seasonal strong patch in this region,” Koe told CJI attendees. “It's really important that operators can take advantage of that in a more stable environment. We'll be looking to see whether all the positive regulatory changes, particularly in Saudi, continue to pay dividends. They could do if the situation normalizes.”

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