Based on data from RadarBox.com, the most active airline in the Middle East is Qatar Airways, but the margins are definitely close.
In this piece, we will take a look at where the carrier is at the moment and how they fare up against their main competitors.
Without further ado, let’s get into the numbers…
Qatar Airways’ Numbers…
For May 9-16, Qatar Airways handled 598 movements, which is an increase of 20.08% compared to the same period last year.
This figure is around 45 movements higher than the same period in 2019, which shows that post-pandemic growth is well en route.
Below is the last four weeks’ worth of data from the carrier:
| Date | 2019 Numbers | 2022 Numbers | 2023 Numbers | Percentage Difference (2023 vs. 2022) |
| April 11-18 | 628 movements | 494 movements | 547 movements | +10.73% |
| April 18-25 | 625 movements | 499 movements | 559 movements | +12.02% |
| April 25-May 2 | 569 movements | 496 movements | 575 movements | +15.93% |
| May 2-9 | 548 movements | 500 movements | 580 movements | +16.00% |
What we can see from the data is that for the last five weeks, Qatar Airways has achieved double-digit growth in movement numbers compared to last year.
Such efforts towards being the most active in the Middle East are despite the fact that in two of those five weeks, they were below pre-pandemic levels.
How Do They Fare Against Their Competitors?
As we can see from the graphic above, we can see that Qatar Airways is the most active carrier in the Middle East at the moment.
There is a close battle with SAUDIA, which has 497 average daily movements, with Emirates coming third with 461.
Etihad is all of the way down in 6th, with 182 movements, and is currently being beaten by low-cost carriers such as Flydubai, flynas, and Air Arabia.
However, as airlines in the Middle East, particularly the legacy carriers, begin restoring pre-pandemic services, this battle will no doubt hotten up as we enter June, July, and August.
Overall…
What remains clear is that Qatar Airways is pushing ahead into the Summer 2023 season on a high note but will have to fight hard to keep that #1 spot.
With SAUDIA creeping closer to the 500s in terms of daily movements, it will be interesting to see what the battle will look like between the two moving forward.
Emirates, are, of course, reactivating aircraft on a regular basis, which will mean more services to be added and reinstated, which will no doubt put them in the battle to move forward.
What remains clear is that the Middle East will be a market to keep an eye on over the course of this busy period.
