RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s air traffic grew 43 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year, reaching 497,000 flights according to official data released by the General Authority for Statistics. The report noted that 49 million passengers were transported in 2021, up 30 percent compared to the previous year. According to the report, Saudi Airlines alone transported 40 million passengers in 2021. “The results indicated that the number of arriving and departing international flights in 2021 reached nearly 126,000 with an increase of 20 percent from 2020,” said GASTAT in the report. The report added: “The number of arriving and departing domestic flights reached nearly 371,000 with an increase of 53 percent from 2020.” The report further pointed out that the King Khalid International Airport ranked first in the number of flights among Saudi Arabia’s airports with a share of 33 percent, followed by King Abdulaziz International Airport by 26 percent and King Fahd International Airport by 13 percent in 2021.