Dubai Airports announced on Tuesday that Dubai International Airport (DXB) anticipates a record-breaking year in passenger traffic, following an impressive 8.4 percent increase in the first quarter compared to the previous year.
During the January-March period, DXB welcomed approximately 23 million passengers, attributed in part to expanded destination offerings by Emirates and Flydubai, the flagship and low-cost carriers respectively.
CEO Paul Griffiths expressed optimism, stating that with a robust start to the second quarter and positive projections for the remainder of the year, they have revised their annual forecast to accommodate an estimated 91 million guests, surpassing the previous record set in 2018.
Dubai, a global tourism and trade hub, recorded a landmark 17.15 million international overnight visitors last year, underlining its significance in the region.
The ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, recently approved a monumental project: a new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, valued at 128 billion dirhams ($34.85 billion). This terminal, set to become the world’s largest, will have a capacity of up to 260 million passengers, five times that of DXB, with all operations eventually transitioning to Al Maktoum.
DXB currently connects to 256 destinations across 102 countries, with India, Saudi Arabia, and Britain topping the list of countries by passenger numbers in the first quarter.
In related economic news, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) upgraded its forecast for the United Arab Emirates’ GDP growth, projecting a 4 percent increase this year. The IMF attributed this growth to solid domestic activity in sectors like tourism, construction, and financial services, highlighting the UAE’s ongoing efforts to diversify its economy away from hydrocarbons and attract foreign investment.
