Dubai International welcomes record 23 million passengers in Q1 – Business Traveller
Dubai International Airport has published its latest passenger numbers, recording its busiest quarter in history.
The hub airport welcomed 23,052.060 passengers in Q1, up 8.3 per cent on the same period last year.
India was the top destination for flights from Dubai International over the quarter, with 3.1 million customers, followed by Saudi Arabia (two million) and the UK (1.5 million).
In terms of cities London was the top market with a total of 961.000 passengers heading to the UK capital during Q1, followed by Riyadh (795,000) and Jeddah (669,000).
Emirates serves London’s Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports with more than 80 weekly flights across the three routes from Dubai International.
Last year the airport welcomed just under 87 million travellers, placing it second on the list of the world’s busiest hubs behind Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International. This figure is expected to rise to 91 million in 2024.
Commenting on the news Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said:
“The robust growth trajectory at DXB continued in the first quarter of the year, with the hub recording some truly impressive numbers. Thanks in part to the proliferation of cities being added to our network by our home base carriers Emirates and flydubai, in recent months.
“As Dubai emerges as a global leader for attracting talent, businesses, and tourists from across the globe, our focus remains on sustaining growth momentum and enhancing the overall airport experience for every guest passing through our terminals.
“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.”
