Dubai Airport Set to Achieve Record Passenger Traffic This Year
Dubai Airports announced that the city’s main airport is set to achieve a new passenger milestone this year, thanks to an 8% increase in traffic over the first six months.
Dubai International Airport (DXB), the busiest airport globally for international travel, served 44.9 million passengers in the first half of the year. Growth is attributed to strong demand from India and the recovery of traffic from China.
Passenger traffic from China surged to over one million, an 80% increase from last year and reaching 90% of pre-pandemic levels.
Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths expressed confidence in breaking records this year, with a forecast of 91.8 million passengers for 2024. This would surpass the previous record of 89.1 million set in 2018.
Dubai, a major tourism and trade hub, saw a record 17.15 million international overnight visitors in 2023. The city attracts many visitors due to its large infrastructure projects, tax-free environment, and welcoming immigration policies.
In April, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum approved a new terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, with an investment of 128 billion dirhams ($35 billion). This expansion will make Al Maktoum the world’s largest airport, with a capacity of up to 260 million passengers—five times larger than DXB. Operations will eventually move from DXB to the new facility.
DXB currently serves 269 destinations across 106 countries. After India, the top countries for passenger traffic are Saudi Arabia, Britain, and Pakistan.
