Dubai airport sets passenger record, thanks to Indian travellers, those transiting via China

Dubai International Airport saw a record 44.9 million travellers pass through its terminals in the first half of this year, putting the world’s busiest airport for international travel back on track to beat its all-time record, as aviation booms after the coronavirus pandemic.

The results released on Wednesday follow a record-breaking annual profit for the long-haul carrier Emirates that calls the airport – known as DXB – its home. The results come as Dubai plans to move operations to a nearly US$35 billion new airfield in the next decade.

Meanwhile, a real-estate boom and its highest-ever tourism numbers have made the city state in the United Arab Emirates not just a layover, but also a destination for even more travellers.

“Before the pandemic, 60 per cent of people coming through the airport were actually transiting to other cities and countries. We’ve now got 60 per cent coming to the city and 40 per cent in transit,” Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said. “That is obviously very good because it means that traffic to the city is very dynamic and buoyant,” he added.

The airport had 89.1 million passengers in 2018, its busiest-ever year before the pandemic. Sixty-six million passengers passed through in 2022 and 86.9 million passengers in 2023.

“We are headed for a forecast number for the balance of the year of 91.8 million passengers, which is again another record for us,” Griffiths added.

DXB has long served as a barometer for the aviation industry worldwide and the wider economic health of Dubai. The UAE and the airline rebounded quickly from the pandemic by pushing forward with tourism, even as some countries more slowly came out of their pandemic crouch.

Travellers from India passed through DXB terminals in the largest