Dubai International Airport (DXB), United Arab Emirates (UAE) handled a record 95.2 million passengers last year, up 3.1 percent year-on-year, as national airline Emirates expanded and the highest number of international tourist visits to Dubai in history.
The world's busiest airport based on international traffic previously estimated traffic volume of 95.3 million passengers by the end of 2025.
DXB traffic is expected to reach 99.5 million by 2026, according to state-owned operator Dubai Airports last month, reported The National (10/3).
"This airport is the 'lifeblood of Dubai. Proud of its service, proud of its team," tweeted the Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid on social media X.
DXB said it had reached "the busiest day, month, quarter and year in its history, operating at the brink of physical capacity."
"What would be an extraordinary strain elsewhere has become part of DXB's normal operating rhythm."
December was the busiest month in the airport's history, with 8.7 million passengers traveling during the UAE winter. The figure was up 6.1 percent compared to the same month in 2024.
The fourth quarter was also the busiest quarter ever recorded, with 25.1 million passengers, up 5.9 percent compared to the same period in 2024.
"By 2025, DXB showing record traffic is no longer an exception, but part of its operational reality," said Dubai Airports Chief Executive Paul Griffiths.
"The consistency on a large scale reflects the maturity of the system," he added.
On the other hand, Dubai attracted 19.59 million international visitors who stayed last year, an increase of 5 percent from 2024, according to the latest data from the emirate's Department of Economy and Tourism. In December, Dubai received more than two million visitors, the first time the figure was reached in a calendar month.
Meanwhile, Emirates' expansion, the world's largest long-haul airline, continues to drive growth at the airport. Travel demand to and from Dubai and across the airline's international network remains strong, said Emirates Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Adel Al Redha in January.
Emirates needs to recruit 20,000 "operational staff", from pilots to engineers, over the next five years, to coincide with an aggressive jet delivery schedule and high travel demand across its network, it added.
This recruitment effort is driven by the rapid delivery rate of the Airbus A350-900 wide-body aircraft, the introduction of new destinations and the addition of flight frequencies on existing routes.
However, DXB reached its capacity limit as travel demand continued to increase and the physical infrastructure was almost full.
To cope with future growth, Dubai is building a new $35 billion airport terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport.
The first phase of this project is expected to be completed in 2032 and will be able to handle 150 million passengers per year. Once fully completed, the airport will reach a capacity of 260 million passengers per year.
DXB is connected to 291 destinations in 110 countries, served by 108 international airlines by the end of 2025.
India remains DXB's largest single country market with 11.9 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia with 7.5 million, the UK with 6.3 million, Pakistan with 4.3 million, and the US with 3.3 million, said Dubai Airports.
Several markets recorded strong growth during the year. Traffic from China increased 16.6 percent to 2.5 million, Russia grew 6 percent to 2.8 million, Turkey rose 6.7 percent to 2.2 million, Egypt increased 14.3 percent to 1.8 million, and Italy rose 12.5 percent to 1.6 million.
Meanwhile, London remained the busiest city destination for DXB with 3.9 million passengers, followed by Riyadh with three million, Mumbai and Jeddah with 2.4 million each, and New Delhi with 2.2 million.
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