It continued its global lead as the busiest international airport for the eighth year in a row

"Dubai International" "exceeds expectations" and receives 29.1 million passengers in 2021

Dubai International Airport has maintained the first position at the forefront of the busiest international airports around the world for the eighth year in a row, as it received 29.1 million passengers during 2021, with annual passenger traffic exceeding the initial expectations for the number of passengers through Dubai International Airport in 2021, with a relative increase estimated at half a million Passenger as a result of the increase in air traffic during the last quarter of the year.

2021 statistics

Dubai Airports Corporation said in a statement that Dubai International Airport received 29,110,609 passengers last year, with an annual growth rate of 12.7%.

The figures indicate a strong growth during the last three months of the same year, during which the airport recorded 11,794,046 passengers, an increase of 77% over the third quarter, with the last quarter being the busiest period since the first quarter of 2020, and the first time since the beginning of the year. The “Covid-19” pandemic, in which the quarterly passenger traffic at the airport exceeded the 10 million mark, while December 2021 was the busiest month of the year, with a total of 4.5 million passengers.

International Destinations

During 2021, India retained its position as the number one destination for Dubai International in terms of passenger volume, with a total of 4.2 million passengers, followed by Pakistan with 1.8 million passengers, Saudi Arabia with 1.5 million passengers, and the United Kingdom with 1.2 million passengers.

Destinations also included many countries, including the United States with a total of 1.1 million passengers, and Egypt with about one million passengers, while Turkey recorded 945,000 passengers.

Prominent cities

As for the most prominent destinations from the cities during 2021, the Turkish city of Istanbul came first with 916,000 passengers, then the Egyptian city of Cairo with 905,000 passengers, while the British capital London reached 814 thousand, and the Indian city of New Delhi reached 791,000 passengers.

Dubai Airports pointed out that Dubai International Airport connects to more than 198 global destinations in 93 countries through 84 international airlines, exceeding the number of destinations in 2019 before the pandemic.

Flights

According to statistics, the number of flights at Dubai International Airport during the last quarter of last year reached 77,671 flights, bringing the annual number of flights to 233,375 flights, an annual increase of 28.1%, while the average number of passengers per flight was 154 passengers. , recording an annual decrease of 18.9%.

pay recovery

For his part, CEO of Dubai Airports, Paul Griffiths, referred to the major events witnessed in 2021, which contributed to achieving a large number of important achievements in light of the exceptional circumstances imposed by the global pandemic.

He said, "The qualitative steps taken by Dubai and the aviation sector contributed to advancing and accelerating the recovery process, including hosting the largest and largest edition of the Dubai Airshow, to constitute the first global event and major air exhibition to be held since the beginning of the global pandemic, as well as the return of operational capacity at the airport. Dubai International at 100%, with the reopening of Concourse (D) and Concourse (A) in Terminal 1.”

He pointed to the opening of one of the largest airport laboratories in the world to conduct nasal swab tests to detect cases of infection with the "Covid-19" virus for all visitors coming to Dubai with ease, in addition to the inclusion of new airlines that will connect Dubai to several destinations in preparation for receiving millions of tourists around the world. the world and welcome them to visit “Expo 2020 Dubai”.

exceed expectations

Commenting on the exceptional performance of Dubai International, Griffiths said: "Despite the challenges and difficulties faced by millions of individuals around the world, we were able to overcome obstacles by keeping pace with changes with flexibility and high speed, in order to provide a safe and comfortable travel experience for travelers through the airport." .

He added: “These amazing results were achieved thanks to the efforts made by all employees and partners, and their ability to face sudden changes in travel regulations, global concerns about the high number of infections, and the emergence of new mutations from the virus, so we succeeded in exceeding expectations, and maintaining our position as the most international airport. congestion in the world.

And Griffiths continued, "With the return of activity in major markets such as Australia, and the gradual easing of travel restrictions around the world, there are promising expectations for 2022 in light of our continuous efforts towards leading the path of the aviation and air travel sector, and enhancing its contributions in the recovery phase."

Passenger Traffic Forecast

According to Dubai Airports, preliminary expectations indicate that annual passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport will reach 55.1 million passengers by the end of 2022.

CEO of Dubai Airports, Paul Griffiths, said that it is possible to make a qualitative leap and significantly exceed this number if the positive factors we are currently witnessing continue.

Powerful charging performance

In addition, air freight witnessed a strong performance throughout the year 2021, recording 614,834 tons of cargo in the last quarter, raising the annual freight volume in 2021 by 20%, bringing the total to 2,319,185 tons.

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