Dubai’s main airport to handle over 21.2 million passengers in early 2023

dubai The international airport saw more than 21.2 million passengers pass through its terminals in the first quarter of this year, likely approaching the figure before the coronavirus pandemic grounded global air traffic.

Home to long-haul carrier Emirates, Dubai Airport is the world’s busiest airport for international travel and a bellwether for the global aviation industry.

“DXB’s performance in the first quarter exceeded our expectations, reflecting the strong growth in demand we continue to see in key markets,” Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said in a statement, using the airport’s The three-letter code for .

and China further easing of travel restrictions and Saudi Arabia With all pandemic restrictions lifted for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Dubai International Airport could see more passengers passing through this important east-west transit point.

The airport said on Tuesday it had raised its travel forecast for 2023 by more than 5 million passengers, to 83.6 million. In 2019, just before the pandemic, the airport saw a record 86.4 million passengers.

March is the busiest month in the first quarter of 2023, with 7.3 million passengers carried. The airport said it was the highest monthly traffic since January 2020, when it handled 7.8 million passengers.

Passenger traffic this year was largely driven by the airport’s standard travel destinations – India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UK. Russia is also a major market, as Dubai remained one of the few places still open to Russians during Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

Emirates President Tim Clarke acknowledged last week that the airline still has some double-decker Airbus A380s parked at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai World Central – a large facility in the south of Dubai that plans to one day take over Dubai International Airport. Airport. With Emirates fully operational again, this will attract more passengers through DXB and help contribute to the city’s vital tourism market.

Dubai International Airport serves 234 destinations in 99 countries.