Aviation activity rises sharply in Nov reflecting resilient travel demand

Doha, Qatar: Qatar s aviation sector posted another month of solid growth in November 2025, with new data from the Civil Aviation Authority showing in...

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.