As part of the emirate’s ongoing economic boom, officials announced on Wednesday that a record 95.2 million passengers passed through Dubai International Airport last year, maintaining the airport’s position as the busiest in the world.
In the years following the pandemic, the airport flourished due to the global need for travel as well as the growing tourism, business, and real estate prospects in the largest metropolis in the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai announced on Monday that it had seen a 5% rise in visitors last year, reaching 19.6 million, marking the third consecutive year of record-breaking numbers.
The long-haul airline Emirates, which operates the “Dubai Inc.” network of state-owned and state-affiliated companies in the emirate, is based at the state-owned airport.
In 2025, Dubai International demonstrated “that record traffic is no longer an exception, but part of its operating reality,” according to Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Parks.
In 2024, Dubai Airport handled 92.3 million passengers, up from 86.9 million the year before.
Traffic was 86.3 million passengers in 2019, right before the epidemic completely crippled air travel.
In 2018, there were 89.1 million travelers.
With 11.9 million passengers flown out of Dubai International last year, India continued to be the most popular destination, followed by Saudi Arabia (7.5 million) and the United Kingdom (6.3 million). It was used by 108 airlines that flew to 291 cities in 110 countries.
Dubai is now both a destination and a stopover due to a real estate boom and the city’s highest-ever tourism figures.
But the city is currently under pressure from rising expenses and traffic, which affects both its Emirati locals and the foreigners who drive its economy.
Al Maktoum International Airport, which is roughly 45 kilometers (28 miles) away, will be the new location for Dubai’s airport operations.
During the epidemic, Emirates’ double-decker Airbus A380s and other aircraft used Al Maktoum, which had only one terminal when it opened in 2010, as a parking lot.
Since then, it has come back to life with cargo, commercial, and private flights. In addition, it offers a sizable desert for growth and hosts the biennial Dubai Air Show.
Following an estimated $35 billion renovation, authorities intend to relocate operations to the city-state’s second airport in 2032.
