Dubai Airports revises 2024 projections on the back of record Q1 passenger traffic

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Dubai’s main airport expects to handle a record passenger traffic this year after an 8.4 per cent rise in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, operator Dubai Airports said on Tuesday.

Dubai International Airport (DXB), a major global travel hub, welcomed around 23 million passengers in the January-March period, the operator said in a statement, noting that the uptick was partly driven by increased destination offers by flagship carrier Emirates and its sister low-cost airline Flydubai.

“With a strong start to Q2 and an optimistic outlook for the rest of the year, we have revised our forecast for the year to 91 million guests, surpassing our previous annual traffic record of 89.1 million in 2018,” CEO Paul Griffiths said in the statement.

Top passenger countries

In the first quarter, India, Saudi Arabia and Britain were the top three countries by passenger numbers, Dubai Airports added.

India remains DXB’s top destination country, with passenger traffic reaching 3.1 million guests, followed by Saudi Arabia (2m), the UK (1.5m), and Pakistan (1.1m).

Other significant contributors include the US (836,000 guests), Russia (725,000), and Germany (728,000).

Top cities by passenger numbers include London with 961,000 guests, Riyadh (795,000), and Jeddah (669,000), followed closely by Mumbai with 637K guests.

Dubai is the biggest tourism and trade hub in the Middle East, attracting a record 17.15 million international overnight visitors last year with the airport connected to 256 destinations across 102 countries.

Outlook

The airport projects that passenger numbers could hit 91 million for 2024. “With a strong start to Q2 and an optimistic outlook for the rest of the year, we have revised our forecast for the year to 91 million guests, surpassing our previous annual traffic record of 89.1 million in 2018,” Griffiths added.

The airport surpassed pre-pandemic traffic with 87 million passengers in 2023. It is has held the position as the world’s number one airport for international passengers for the 9th year running.

Dubai’s transition to new airport

Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum last month approved a new passenger terminal in Al Maktoum International airport worth Dhs128bn($34.85bn).

The Al Maktoum International Airport will be the largest in the world with a capacity of up to 260 million passengers, and five times the size of DXB, he said, adding all operations at Dubai airport would be transferred to Al Maktoum in the coming years.