Saudi Arabia saw almost 30,000 business jet movements last year, including 10,737 in Riyadh, 9,740 at Dammam and 9,392 in Jeddah (a total of 29,869 movements), according to data compiled by WingX for the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) show. Boeing has the strongest OEM presence in the kingdom, with 38 aircraft in 10 Middle East countries; since 2000, Airbus has sold 13 new aircraft in the region, Embraer eight and Bombardier five.

Last year almost 2,350 flights left Saudi Arabia for Europe, Russia and North Africa, WingX said, a gain of 10 percent. The three top destinations for jets leaving Saudi Arabia are Geneva, Paris Le Bourget and Istanbul. Within the Saudi Arabian charter market, the most popular aircraft choices among customers are the GV, Hawker 700/800 and Global Express.

Top charter city pairs from Saudi Arabia to Europe were Jeddah-Paris (Le Bourget) with 35 flights, up 46 percent on 2012; Jeddah-Geneva, 27, up 59 percent; and Riyadh-Istanbul, 26, up 53 percent. Top private city pairs to Europe were Jeddah-Paris, 74, down 20 percent; Riyadh-Paris, 66, up 5 percent; and Riyadh-Geneva, 33, up 50 percent.