Dubai Airports announced on Wednesday that Dubai International (DXB) is projected to achieve an annual passenger traffic of 86.8 million, surpassing 2019 figures.
This optimistic outlook is fueled by record-breaking numbers in the final quarter of 2023, showcasing the aviation sector’s remarkable growth.
Strong Q3 Performance and Year-to-Date Surge:
DXB recorded 22.9 million passengers in the third quarter, marking the highest quarterly traffic since 2019.
The total year-to-date number for the first nine months of 2023 reached 64.5 million passengers, a significant 39.3% increase compared to the same period in 2022 and a 1% rise above 2019 figures.
The resurgence in travel, termed ‘revenge travel,’ post-COVID-19 has been a major driver of Dubai’s economy, particularly in the travel and tourism sector, contributing to the significant growth observed over the past two years.
Infrastructure Expansion to Accommodate Growth:
Dubai Airport is expanding its infrastructure capacity to accommodate the surge in traffic.
With the current capacity of 100 million passengers annually, innovative technology, expansion, and refurbishment initiatives are expected to propel the airport’s capacity to 120 million passengers.
India emerged as the top country destination with 8.9 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia (4.8 million) and the UK (4.4 million).
Noteworthy city destinations include London (2.7 million), Riyadh (1.9 million), Mumbai (1.8 million), and Jeddah (1.7 million).
Efficient Baggage Handling and Passport Control:
In 2023, Dubai International processed 57.5 million bags with a success rate of 99.8%, equating to 2.5 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers. Baggage delivery on arrival was efficient, with 91% delivered within 45 minutes.
Passport control queues experienced an average waiting time of less than 11 minutes for 96.4% of arriving passengers and less than four minutes at security check on departures for 98.4% of total passengers.
Cargo Surge and Flight Movements:
Cargo experienced a surge of 12.3% year-on-year in Q3, reaching 446,400 tonnes. Despite a minor decline of under 1%, the first nine months saw 1.3 million tonnes of cargo.
Flight movements in Q3 increased by 5.1% to 106,000, contributing to a 25.2% year-on-year increase in total flight movements between January and September, totaling 308,000.
