New airlines plus new destinations have helped make Dubai International Airport the number one gateway for international passengers, again.
The UAE gateway took the top spot from London’s Heathrow Airport back in 2014 when it surpassed the long-reigning airport by two million international passengers.
It continued to lead in 2015 and again last year when it handled a record of 83.6 million passengers, up 7.2 percent on the prior year.
The surge in visitors came from a last minute spike in arrivals over the Christmas peak travel period, which saw some 7.7 million travellers pass through Dubai during the month of December alone, compared to seven million in December 2015.
There was also a number of new airlines flying to Dubai International, such as Nepal Airlines and Rossiya, which helped boost international arrivals, as well as the addition of 11 new passengers destinations by flydubai, Emirates and more.
Some 418,220 aircraft movements were recorded over the 12-month period, up 2.8 percent on 2015, while India lead as Dubai’s single largest destination country with 11.4 million holidaymakers passing through the UAE city, followed by Saudi Arabia and then the UK.
Dubai Airports’ CEO, Paul Griffiths, said since surpassing Heathrow Airport the gateway has focused on firmly establishing itself in the top spot and is projecting some 89 million people to pass through the airport this year, bringing it closer to topping Atlanta and Beijing for the top spot in overall traffic.
“Our focus in 2017 and beyond will be on making the airport experience even more delightful, engaging and comfortable for our customers.”
Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports CEO
“Our DXB Plus programme will see a series of new and unique initiatives and technologies introduced at the airport to make DXB not only the busiest but also the world’s best international airport.”