Budget travel is becoming more popular than ever in the UAE and across the Middle East, with low-cost carriers (LCCs) now making up a significant share of the region’s air travel market.
LCCs accounted for just 13% of airline capacity in the Middle East in 2014. By 2024, that number had more than doubled to 29%. This growth reflects a major shift in how people in the region are choosing to travel.
Most low-cost airlines continue to focus on routes within the Middle East, but many have expanded their networks into Africa, which is becoming an increasingly important market.
A major factor behind this trend is the large number of budget-conscious travelers from Asia and Africa living and working in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Many of these travelers are looking for affordable ways to visit home or explore nearby regions. In other Middle Eastern countries with lower per capita incomes, low-cost travel is also the most accessible option for many people.
The GCC — which includes the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait — now has a population of around 63.7 million. A large portion of this population consists of foreign workers, particularly in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.
To meet growing demand, several new budget airlines have been launched in the region in recent years, such as Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Wizz Air, flynas, and SalamAir.
Carriers like flydubai and Air Arabia have focused much of their capacity on Asia, especially the Indian subcontinent, serving a large market of blue-collar workers traveling between their home countries and the Middle East.
By comparison, globally, LCCs accounted for 34% of airline capacity in 2024 — just slightly ahead of the Middle East’s 29%, showing the region is rapidly catching up with global trends in low-cost air travel.
