Dubai International (DXB) has concluded a record-breaking year of achievements and extraordinary growth by welcoming 87 million guests in annual traffic in 2023, a 31.7% increase compared to the 86.4 million passengers that flew through the airport in 2019.
The figure surpassed Dubai Airports’ yearly forecast, as well as pre-pandemic levels of traffic. DXB is connected to 262 destinations across 104 countries through 102 international carriers, the statement said.
The third quarter of 2023 was the quarter with the highest traffic since 2019, with 23 million guests. August, with 7.9 million guests, was the month with the highest traffic.
India was DXB’s top destination country in terms of traffic with 11.9 million passengers last year, followed by Saudi Arabia with 6.7 million, Britain with 5.9 million and Pakistan with 4.2 million.
Dubai Airports said it forecast DXB would receive 88.8 million passengers in 2024, putting the hub within proximity to its record high of 89.1 million set in 2018.
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, said, “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 under His Highness’s leadership.”
Dubai Airports has recently introduced strategic initiatives and made vital investments in infrastructure, technology, and customer service to place Dubai at the forefront of global aviation growth.
“2023 was an exceptional year and is a testament to our unwavering commitment to innovation, efficiency and delivering exemplary guest experience,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.
“Looking ahead, we’re renewing our commitment to collectively enhance the airport experience for our all our guests by launching a significant project to expand and refurbish facilities at DXB, to fortify our infrastructure for future growth. DXB remains firmly positioned as a global leader, setting the gold standard for exceptional guest experiences and international aviation excellence.”
Overall, the aviation sector is growing in the UAE, with Abu Dhabi airport recently stating it is expected to welcome over 22 million travellers by the end of 2023.