The world’s busiest airport for the past 9 years is set to return almost to its 2019 level this year.
They say that trees never reach the sky…
But Dubai International Airport (DXB) continues to reach for the sky…
DXB has revised its 2023 passenger traffic forecasts upwards once again. It expects 85 million passengers to pass through its international hub, serving 257 destinations in 104 countries, via 91 international airlines.
2018: a record year!
If DXB lives up to its promise, it will be “just 1.6%” below its 2019 annual traffic (86 million passengers), according to Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.
In 2018, a record year, traffic reached 89 million passengers! And while travel has contracted sharply since Covid, with 66 million passengers, Dubai International Airport was still the world’s busiest airport in 2022, according to Airports Council International (ACI). And for the ninth year running!
All hopes are therefore pinned on a repeat performance in 2023.
Bright prospects for the second half
In the first half of the year, traffic at DBX rose by 50% to 41.6 million passengers, exceeding the pre-pandemic level for 2019.
And the second half of the year promises to be just as euphoric.
“We started the second half of the year with strong demand in July, and with the current seasonal peak coinciding with the reopening of schools in August, we’re gearing up for an exceptionally busy year,” said Paul Griffiths.
It’s true that a number of fairies have bent down over the cradle of the airport, home base of Emirates.
Starting with its privileged geographical location at the crossroads of Africa, Europe and Asia, which enables it to attract both tourists and business travellers in transit.
India first destination
India stands out as Dubai’s leading destination in terms of traffic, with 6 million passengers in the first half of the year, ahead of Saudi Arabia (3.1 million), the UK (2.8 million), Pakistan (2 million), the USA (1.8 million), Russia (1.3 million) and Germany (1.2 million).
Among the main urban destinations, London leads the way with 1.7 million visitors, ahead of Mumbai (1.2 million) and Riyadh (1.2 million).
But with its high-end infrastructure, business centers, hotels, malls, 24-hour shopping and other spectacular attractions, as well as its beaches and sunny climate, Dubai is also a very attractive destination in its own right.
In terms of service, the airport also boasts a level of excellence, with, for example, in the first half of 2023, the handling of some 37.2 million baggage items, 92% of which were delivered to customers within 45 minutes.
As for the fleet, the Emirati airline is itself doing particularly well, thanks to its fleet of around one hundred A380s. In 2023, it set a record by carrying almost 14 million passengers from June to August!
Objective: the world’s largest airport
And the Emirati authorities have no intention of stopping there.
In addition to DBX, the small emirate, with a population of just how many, opened a second airport in 2010, the international.
Investments worth $33 billion are underway to transform it into the world’s largest airport by 2050! The aim is to handle 250 million passengers a year. Current DBX traffic would then be far exceeded…
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Photo à la Une : Dubai International Airport
