Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world’s busiest international hub, is expecting a record-breaking 88 million passengers to pass through its gates next year. This forecast surpasses the pre-pandemic level of 86.4 million international passengers in 2019.
Majed Al Joker, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Airports, released the forecast for 2024 during an interview with a UAE-based Arabic daily. Al Joker highlighted that the current capacity of DXB is around 100 million passengers, with the possibility to expand to 120 million passengers through ongoing improvements initiated since 2016.
Last week, the airport revised its 2023 passenger forecast upward, from 83.6 million to 85 million. The update came after DXB reported 41.6 million passengers for the first half of 2023, exceeding the 2019 figures for the same period. Compared to the first half of 2022, this represents an increase of 49.1%.
March 2023 was noted as the busiest month of the year so far, with 7.3 million passengers, followed by May with 6.9 million.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, commented, “We started the second half with strong demand in July, and we are preparing for an exceptionally busy rest of the year, especially with schools reopening in August.”
Griffiths also emphasized the airport’s commitment to operational excellence and providing an exemplary guest experience. “As we recover with our H1 traffic surpassing pre-pandemic levels, we continue to remain committed to ensuring every guest who travels through our airport leaves with a smile,” he said.
In a nod to technology’s role in facilitating this growth, Al Joker mentioned that the airport is making optimal use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to better serve passengers.
DXB currently connects to 257 destinations across 104 countries, serviced by more than 91 international airlines.