RAK Airport sets ambitious passenger number goal

• Reached 1 million passengers in 2025
• Wants 1.5 million by 2027
• Expects growth from Wynn casino

Ras Al Khaimah International Airport has increased its passenger numbers by half over the past two years and chief executive Manish Seth told AGBI he wants to repeat that growth.

Operating in the shadow of larger airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, RAK Airport (RKT) passed the 1 million passenger mark in 2025 for the first time, recording a 51 percent increase on the previous year.

“The endeavour… is to achieve the same feat in the next two years,” Seth said, as he set a target of 1.5 million passengers by the end of 2027.

The growth in aviation traffic mirrors a broader tourism push in the northern emirate. Overnight visitors rose 6 percent year on year to more than 1.4 million in 2025, as Ras Al Khaimah works towards an ambitious goal of attracting 3.5 million tourists a year by 2030.

To support rising demand, RKT is refurbishing its existing terminal to lift capacity to 1.2 million passengers, while plans are in place to build a new 30,000 square metre terminal capable of handling up to 4.5 million passengers. Construction is expected to begin this year.

“We can handle the numbers we foresee for the next two to three years,” Seth said.

Passenger volumes are expected to receive a further boost from the UAE’s first casino resort, when Wynn Al Marjan Island opens as scheduled in 2027. The US gaming group expects up to 1 million visitors a year to the resort, with many making multiple trips annually.

Authorities expect 1.5 million tourists from other UAE emirates in 2027, taking total visitor numbers to an estimated 4.6 million that year.

“That will help us build traffic,” Seth said.

Plans have also been announced for a “VVIP” terminal at the airport, developed in partnership with Falcon Executive Aviation to cater for high-end travellers heading to the Wynn resort and due to open in 2027.

It will include a “Royal lounge, four VVIP lounges, premium hospitality areas and an environment tailored to the needs of discreet, high-profile travellers”.

The facility will include a 1,500 sq m terminal, an 8,000 sq m multi-purpose hangar and 9,000 sq m of apron and aircraft parking.

Despite the expansion, RKT does not plan to add a second runway. 

“I don’t see it as a stumbling block or a challenge,” Seth said, pointing to the UK’s Gatwick and India’s Mumbai airports, both of which handle tens of millions of passengers annually with a single runway. “We still have a long way to go before we are talking about those numbers.”

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Established in 1976, RKT serves 16 international destinations. Core markets include India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Egypt, alongside routes to Poland, Romania, Uzbekistan and other parts of Central and Eastern Europe.

In 2025, the airport added Jeddah, Moscow, Warsaw, Prague and Tashkent, with services operated by airlines including Air Arabia, IndiGo and Air India Express. Seth said talks are underway with carriers in Western Europe, China and across the GCC as RKT looks to further expand its network.

“We are looking at this from a long-term perspective,” he said. “Direct connectivity to Western Europe and China is a key focus, alongside increasing our presence across the GCC and the Indian subcontinent.”