I once sat in Dubai airport for a few hours between flights and realised I’d seen more nationalities in that lounge than I had in a whole month in London. That’s when it hit me: airports aren’t just airports anymore. Some of them are super connectors, cities in their own right, bending global travel around them.
The idea came back recently when I joined OAG’s webinar, The Rise of the Super Connectors. It laid out, with data, what many travellers in the Gulf already know from experience: these airports don’t just move passengers. They shift markets, redistribute tourism, and redraw the map of global influence.
What is a super connector?
Not every busy airport qualifies. Heathrow is busy. JFK is busy. But they’re not super connectors.
A super connector has three traits:
- Geography: close enough to multiple regions to act as a bridge.
- Infrastructure: the runways and terminals to handle 70–100m+ passengers a year.
- Airlines: national carriers designed around funneling traffic through one hub.
The Gulf and Türkiye tick all three. That’s why Dubai, Doha, Istanbul and now Riyadh, are shaping the way the world moves.
Dubai: the giant that became a destination
Dubai International Airport (DXB) is still the largest of the super connectors. In 2025, it handled 124 million passengers, up from 104 million a decade ago. Growth has slowed — just 1.8% a year on average — because the site is physically constrained. That’s why Dubai is preparing to move to a new mega-airport at DWC, where capacity could ultimately jump to 260 million.
But the interesting story is not the size. It’s the shift in traffic. In 2015, half of Dubai’s passengers were connecting to somewhere else. Today, more than half are starting or ending their journey in Dubai itself. That says two things:
- Dubai has become a destination in its own right, not just a stopover.
- Its role as a connector is being challenged by neighbours.
Doha: the master of connections
Hamad International (DOH) has quietly built the world’s largest indirect market. In 2015, 66% of its passengers were transferring. In 2025, that’s 74%.
This is no accident. Qatar Airways has bet everything on being a global connector. The strategy: funnel as much traffic as possible through Doha, with smooth transfers and wide route coverage. The result is an airport where almost three-quarters of travellers never step outside.
It’s a reminder that in aviation, size isn’t everything. Strategy is. Doha is smaller than Dubai but punches above its weight because it has leaned into being the perfect transfer point.
Istanbul: geography as leverage
Istanbul Airport (IST) sits on the fault line between Europe and Asia. Geography is its unfair advantage.
Since 2015, the share of passengers using Istanbul as a connecting hub has grown from 53% to 59%. With capacity expected to hit 200 million by 2028, it’s set to keep growing. Turkish Airlines is the engine here, using its network to bridge East and West.
For travellers, this means Istanbul often comes up as the most efficient one-stop option between cities like London and Bangkok, or Frankfurt and Delhi. Geography makes it hard to ignore.
Riyadh: the challenger
Riyadh (RUH) is the wildcard. Ten years ago, no one would have called it a super connector. Today, thanks to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, it’s the fastest-growing hub in the region, averaging 6.1% annual capacity growth despite the pandemic.
A new airline, Riyadh Air | طيران الرياض, is launching. And construction is underway on King Salman International Airport: six runways, 120m passengers in Phase 1, and 185m by 2050.
Right now, most of Riyadh’s traffic is domestic or regional. But that’s exactly what Saudi Arabia wants to change. The ambition is not to compete with Dubai or Doha at the margins. It’s to become a central hub in its own right.
Why it matters
This isn’t aviation trivia. Super connectors are shifting global travel flows.
- The Asia–Europe corridor is now dominated by Gulf and Turkish hubs. They capture 43% of that traffic today, up from 34% in 2015.
- European giants (Heathrow, Paris, Frankfurt) have lost a third of their share. Collectively they had 10% in 2015, now just 6%.
- Almost two-thirds of Middle East airline capacity operates outside the region. Asia, Europe, and Africa take 93% of that.
For travellers, this means more one-stop choices. For airlines, it means pressure to compete on pricing and service. For governments, it means aviation is a tool of soft power.
The future numbers
Right now, these hubs collectively handle 341 million passengers. By 2050, they’re planning for 844 million. That’s more than double.
Is it realistic? OAG’s forecast says yes. Growth rates of 5% annually this decade, slowing to 4% after, get you there.
The real question isn’t whether demand will come. It’s who wins the share. Will Dubai remain on top? Or will Doha, Istanbul, and Riyadh chip away?
The challenges
No story is one-sided. The webinar was clear on the risks:
- Geopolitics. Instability is the backdrop to every aviation plan in the region.
- Aircraft technology. Planes like the A321XLR make point-to-point routes more viable, bypassing hubs altogether.
- India. With its own scale and connectivity ambitions, it could reshape flows.
The Gulf and Türkiye have money, commitment, and geography on their side. But disruption is inevitable.
The bigger picture
Super connectors aren’t just airports. They’re ecosystems.
- For travellers, they’re convenience engines. A single layover can unlock dozens of destinations.
- For business, they’re gateways to multiple regions, making partnerships and trade easier.
- For governments, they’re symbols of ambition, projecting influence far beyond aviation.
Think about it this way: a runway extension in Istanbul isn’t just concrete. It’s a strategic decision about where Europe and Asia meet. A new terminal in Riyadh isn’t just glass and steel. It’s a bet on how Saudi Arabia will be seen in 2050.
My takeaway
I keep coming back to that layover in Dubai. At the time, it was just boredom mixed with people-watching. But it was also a glimpse of what super connectors are becoming: living crossroads.
And sitting in OAG’s session reminded me that we often underestimate infrastructure. Airports aren’t background. They’re front stage. They shape tourism, business, and politics in ways most of us don’t notice until we’re delayed at a gate.
So next time you’re stuck in a long layover in Istanbul, Dubai, or Doha, don’t just complain about the wait. Look around. You’re standing in the middle of one of the world’s most competitive battlegrounds.
And the winners aren’t just airlines. They’re nations.
Moey writes here. 
Leave a comment