Dubai International Airport, busiest for global travel, sees half-year record of 44.9M passengers

Dubai International Airport experienced a record number of travelers in the first half of this year, with 44.9 million passengers passing through its terminals. This puts the airport back on track to surpass its previous all-time record for international travel. The airport is the world’s busiest for international travel. The record-breaking results were released on Wednesday, following a successful year for the long-haul carrier Emirates, which is based at the airport. Dubai also has plans to relocate its airport operations to a new airfield that will cost nearly $35 billion in the next decade.

In addition to its booming aviation industry, Dubai is experiencing a real estate boom and its highest-ever tourism numbers, making it not just a layover but a destination for many travelers. The CEO of Dubai Airports, Paul Griffiths, emphasized the strategic importance of the airport as a global aviation hub and Dubai’s role in attracting talent, businesses, and tourists from around the world. The airport had 89.1 million passengers in 2018, its busiest year before the pandemic. In 2022, 66 million passengers passed through, and in 2023, the number increased to 86.9 million.

Looking ahead, the airport has forecasted a record 91.8 million annual guests for 2024. Dubai’s aviation industry serves as a barometer for the global aviation industry and the broader economic health of the city. Dubai and the airline Emirates quickly rebounded from the pandemic and continued to push forward with tourism, despite slower recoveries in other countries. To accommodate the increasing traffic, Dubai plans to move operations from DXB to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central.

This new airport will feature a distinctive curving, white terminal, five parallel runways, and 400 aircraft gates. Al Maktoum International Airport, located 45 kilometers away from DXB, opened in 2010 and is slowly returning to use after serving as a parking location for aircraft during the pandemic. The airport also hosts the biennial Dubai Air Show and has ample space for expansion. Dubai also has plans to expand further south, with the nearby Expo 2020 site already offering homes for buyers.