More than 46 million passengers passed through Dubai International (DXB) airport in the first half of the year, up 2.3% year on year, marking the busiest first half in the airport’s 65-year history.
That sees DXB on track to break even more records in 2025, topping its record 92.3 million passengers in 2024, which marked an annual increase of nearly 6% on the previous year.
DXB expects annual traffic to reach 96 million this year, “bringing us closer to the symbolic 100 million milestone”, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said in a statement.
April 2025 was the busiest month on record
DXB’s record figure for the first half of 2025 could have been even higher were it not for flight cancellations and disruptions in May and June due to regional conflicts, yet the second quarter of the year still showed resilience, posting a 3.1% increase in serving 22.5 million passengers.
April 2025 was reported as the busiest for that month on record for the UAE airport, with more than 8 million people passing through its terminals.
Overall in the first half of 2025, DXB handled 222,000 flights and January was the busiest month with a record 8.5 million guests, while the average stood at 7.7 million and 254,000 people per day.
The peak in traffic came on 3 January with more than 311,000 guests as visitors returned from the holiday season and expat residents returned to work.
India was the Dubai airport’s largest source market in H1 with 5.9 million guests, followed by Saudi Arabia (3.6 million), the UK (3.0 million), Pakistan (2.1 million) and the US (1.6 million).
Meanwhile, London was the busiest city destination with 1.8 million guests, followed by Riyadh (1.5 million), Mumbai (1.2 million), Jeddah and New Delhi (1.1 million).
Griffiths added: “DXB’s continued growth through a period of regional challenges highlights the strength of Dubai and the UAE, the agility of our operations and the commitment of our airport community.”
“As we enter the second half of the year, travel activity is expected to accelerate, beginning with the late-summer peak and leading into a winter season filled with high-profile events across entertainment, sport, and business.
Source: connectingtravel.com
