Dubai Airport set to record 91.8 million passengers in 2024

Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world's busiest airport for international traffic, is on track to handle a record 91.8 million passengers this year, its operator said on Wednesday.

The annual forecast has been revised upwards for the second time due to a strong post-Covid rebound in air traffic from China.

“Strong demand from key source markets such as India and the gradual but certain resurgence of markets such as China, have been instrumental in our success,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, in a statement.

DXB recorded 21.8 million passengers in the second quarter of 2024, up 7.5 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Dubai Airports. In the first six months of 2024, DXB handled 44.9 million passengers, marking an 8 percent year-on-year increase.

Dubai hosted 9.31 million overnight international visitors from January to June this year, up by about 9 percent annually, driven by the emirate's efforts to strengthen and expand its tourism sector, according to July data from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).

The number of visitors from north-east and south-east Asia grew from an 8 percent share at the beginning of the year to 10 percent by the end of the six-month period, largely due to a strong recovery in Chinese traffic.

India remained DXB's top destination country in the first half of 2024 with 6.1 million passengers, while traffic from China exceeded one million passengers, representing an 80 percent year-on-year growth and a 90 percent recovery compared to 2019 levels, data shared by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority showed.

Saudi Arabia followed with 3.7 million passengers, the UK with 2.9 million, and Pakistan with 2.3 million. Other significant markets included the U.S. (1.7 million), Russia (1.3 million), and Germany (1.3 million).

The top three city destinations were London with 1.8 million passengers, Riyadh with 1.6 million, and Mumbai with 1.2 million. The total number of flight movements at DXB reached 216,000, a 7.2 percent increase compared to the first six months of last year.

The average number of passengers per aircraft movement was 213, and the load factor remained steady at 77 percent compared to the first half of 2023. Direct traffic accounted for 56 percent of the airport's total, while transfer traffic comprised 44 percent, Dubai Airports reported.

In 2023, DXB surpassed its pre-pandemic annual passenger traffic, handling nearly 87 million passengers – a growth of 31.7 percent year-on-year – due to rising travel demand.

The UAE's tourism sector is projected to contribute 12 percent to the country's gross domestic product this year, up from 11.7 percent in 2023, as reported by the Emirates News Agency in May.

The Arab world’s second-largest economy expanded by 3.6 percent last year, according to the Central Bank of the UAE.