Dubai airport exceeds 2019 passenger numbers
▶ CEO says airport expects to receive 88.8 million passengers this year
Dubai International Airport exceeded its pre-coronavirus annual passenger traffic last year and aims to get close to setting a record figure this year, as travel demand continues to increase.
The airport handled about 87 million passengers last year – up 31.7 per cent on the previous year – as it edged past the 86.4 million recorded in 2019, operator Dubai Airports said.
Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths said the airport, which recorded average monthly traffic of 7.3 million passengers last year, is one of the few hubs in the world to have “moved past” the effects of the pandemic.
“We emerge from the pandemic stronger than the position in which we entered it, which is a great situation, and that reflects in the traffic numbers,” Mr Griffiths told The National.
“All of this has propelled the city of Dubai to a level of credibility that it has not enjoyed before and the evidence is all around us.”
Passenger traffic in the last three months of 2023 rose 13.8 per cent annually to 22.4 million.
December was the busiest month in the fourth quarter with 7.8 million passengers passing through the airport.
It is now connected to 262 destinations in 104 countries through 102 airlines.
This year, it expects to receive 88.8 million passengers, revised upwards from its November forecast of 88.2 million.
This is close to its record of 89.1 million in 2018.
“I’ve had a sneak preview of the January numbers and there is cause for optimism, the signs are very good. And the strength behind this is our geocentric locations,” Mr Griffiths said.
DXB is investing heavily to increase its capacity through new technology and more efficient processes to help more people pass through the airport quicker as the building nears full capacity.
“It’s clear that at some stage we are going to reach the limits of DXB’s potential capacity,” Mr Griffiths said.
“It’s difficult to say when that will be, it depends on the growth and the profile of what airline customers do.”
Dubai International Airport surpassed its pre-coronavirus annual passenger traffic last year and beat its own forecast on the back of a strong performance in the second half of the year.
The airport handled nearly 87 million passengers in 2023, up an annual 31.7 per cent, as it edged past the 86.4 million recorded in 2019, operator Dubai Airports said yesterday. The figures are also above its last fullyear forecast of 86.8 million.
Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths said the airport, which recorded average monthly traffic of 7.3 million passengers in 2023, is one of the few hubs in the world to have “moved past” the impact of the pandemic.
“We emerge from the pandemic stronger than the position in which we entered it, which is a great situation, and that reflects in the traffic numbers,” Mr Griffiths told The National. “All of this has propelled the city of Dubai to a level of credibility that it has not enjoyed before and the evidence is all around us,” he said, pointing to the city’s busy roads, packed hotels and strong economic activity.
The airport recorded 416,405 flight movements in 2023, the highest total at DXB, and up 21.3 per cent annually.
Passenger traffic in the last three months of 2023 rose 13.8 per cent annually to 22.4 million. December was the busiest month in the fourth quarter with 7.8 million passengers.
The airport is now connected to 262 destinations in 104 countries through 102 international airlines.
“This exceptional performance underscores Dubai’s emergence as the world’s most popular tourism destination and its pivotal role in global commerce and trade, facilitated by the unmatched connectivity, aviation capacity and logistics infrastructure that has been built steadily over the years,” Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, said in a post on X yesterday.
Dubai’s aviation sector has made a strong rebound from the pandemic-induced slowdown and was among the first to reopen to international travellers, bolstered by a strong Covid vaccine programme and health guidelines.
The airport’s passenger traffic in 2023 is in line with Dubai recording its best annual tourism performance last year when international arrivals to the emirate increased 19.4 per cent to 17.15 million. This exceeded the
16.73 million visitors in 2019, according to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.
India was DXB’s top destination country, with traffic totalling 11.9 million passengers last year, followed by Saudi Arabia (6.7 million), the UK (5.9 million), Pakistan (4.2 million), the US (3.6 million), Russia (2.5 million) and Germany (2.5 million).
London retained its position as the top city destination with 3.7 million passengers, followed by Riyadh at 2.6 million and Mumbai at 2.5 million.
However, the return of Chinese travellers to the city remains slower than expected and the number of Chinese passengers is 20 per cent below expectations, Mr Griffiths said.
“But every other market has performed incredibly well.”
The weaker Chinese performance comes as the world’s second-biggest economy expanded 5.2 per cent last year but faced a deepening property crisis as well as weak consumer and business confidence.
“But the good thing is that once all this is overcome and
Chinese travellers start to become mobile again, I think they will come back with very strong and very quick recoveries,” Mr Griffiths said.
In 2023, DXB handled more than 1.8 million tonnes of cargo, down 4.5 per cent compared with the previous year.
But cargo volumes rose 20.4 per cent annually in the fourth quarter to 506,018 tonnes.
“If that continues we will be well over two million tonnes by the end of the year on an annualised basis,” Mr Griffiths said.
This comes as attacks on shipping through the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels continue in support for Palestinians over the Israel-Gaza war.
This year, the airport expects to receive 88.8 million passengers, revised upwards from its November forecast of 88.2 million. This would put it within sight of its previous record of 89.1 million in 2018.
“I’ve had a sneak preview of the January numbers and there is cause for optimism, the signs are very good,” Mr Griffiths said.
DXB is investing heavily to increase its capacity through new technology and more efficient processes to funnel more people through the airport more quickly as the land-locked building nears its full capacity.
“It’s clear that at some stage we are going to reach the limits of DXB’s potential capacity,” Mr Griffiths said. “It’s difficult to say when that will be, it depends on the growth and the profile of what our airline customers do.”
As DXB nears its capacity and as home carriers Emirates and flydubai place orders for new aircraft, plans for expanding the passenger terminal at Dubai
World Central have been under discussion for many years.
DWC or Al Maktoum International Airport has been operational since 2010. It is mainly home to cargo operations and private jet operators but is also used by some commercial airlines.
Discussing the effect on DXB’s business of the Israel-Gaza war as it enters its fourth month, Mr Griffiths said the airport has a resilient model and any decline in one market is often offset by growth in other markets in its vast network.
Asked if he was concerned about the outcome of the US presidential elections in November and the effect of a second win for Donald Trump, who during his first term had introduced a ban on passengers carrying laptops on US-bound flights from certain airports in the Middle East and North Africa, Mr Griffiths said the volatility of world politics is “something we’ve got to learn to live with”.
“You can’t plan around those things, you just have to roll with the punches whenever a situation presents itself,” he said.