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Dubai The world’s busiest international airport for international travel has already seen 93.8 million passengers pass through its terminals this year, surpassing last year’s record-setting results, officials announced Wednesday.
The rapid growth of passengers at the airport underlines Dubai as a major hub for East-West travel in global aviation and underlines the need for a $35 billion project to build a massive, five-runway airport at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai World Central.
The city-state’s second airport is now hosting the biennial Dubai Air Show, which has already seen large aircraft orders by both long-haul carriers. Emirates and its low-cost sister airline flydubai. Those purchases will lead to a massive expansion of the routes flown by the two state-owned airlines.
“These record-breaking results demonstrate the continued strength of Dubai’s aviation and tourism sectors,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. “Yet, it also reinforces the importance of what comes next. DWC’s vision goes beyond capacity expansion – it represents a reevaluation and evolution of the entire travel experience.”
Dubai International Airport, identified as DXB, is home to long-haul carrier Emirates, which powers a network of state-owned and state-linked businesses known as “Dubai Inc.” The Al Maktoum expansion, known as DWC, will also fuel a major real estate expansion in this sheikhdom across the UAE as well as its southern regions. Dubai plans to transfer its airport operations from DXB to DWC, about 45 kilometers (28 mi) away.
The real estate boom and the highest ever tourism numbers in the city have made Dubai a destination as well as a stopover. However, the city is now struggling with increasing traffic and costs, putting pressure on both its Emirati citizens and the foreign residents who power its economy.
DXB carried a record 92.3 million passengers last year, up from 86.9 million passengers in 2023. It carried 89.1 million passengers in 2018 – its busiest year ever before the pandemic, while 66 million passengers are expected in 2022.