Long Distance Travel Continues To Increase, Dubai Becomes The Busiest International Airport In The World For 10 Years In A Row

Dubai International Airport. (Wikimedia Commons/Constantin von Wedelstaedt)

JAKARTA - Dubai International Airport (DXB), United Arab Emirates (UAE) is again at the top of the list of the world's busiest international hubs for the 10th year in a row, according to preliminary data from the Airports Council International (ACI) in the middle of last month.

London Heathrow, Schiphol in Amsterdam, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Changi in Singapore completed the top five busiest hubs for international air traffic by 2023, according to associations representing more than 2,000 airports worldwide.

"DXB is proud to maintain its status as the world's leading international airport for an unrivaled 10 years," said Paul Griffiths, chief executive at Dubai Airport, quoted by The National News May 1.

"While we look ahead, our focus remains clear. We are determined to maintain the dominant position of DXB for the next decade and beyond. Through continued collaboration and innovation, we are ready to form a global aviation future," he continued.

DXB, which does not have a domestic market, handled 86.9 million passengers in 2023, an increase of 31.7 percent compared to the previous year.

"Global air travel in 2023 was primarily driven by the international segment, driven by several factors," said Luis Felipe de Oliveira, director-general of ACI World.

"Among them are the benefits anticipated from China's reopening and the increasing trend of traveling, despite macroeconomic conditions," he continued.

This year, Dubai estimates that it will receive 88.8 million passengers, a revised prediction that will rise in February from November's forecast of 88.2 million. This figure is almost the same as the previous record of 89.1 million passengers in 2018.

DXB also expects its annual passenger traffic to reach 93.8 million by 2025 and "Hopefully we will get the magic number of 100 million soon," Griffiths told The National last February.

This estimated growth comes as domestic airline DXB begins receiving shipments of wide-body aircraft and along with the increasing number of foreign airlines launching flights to major hubs in Teluk.

In terms of the overall number of passengers, which includes domestic and international traffic, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport retains the top position in the rankings by 2023 with 104.6 million passengers, according to the ACI World.

Followed by Dubai for the first time, ACI data shows that DXB surpassed Dallas/Fort Worth in 2023. DXB was ranked fifth in 2022 and fourth in 2019 before the Covid pandemic, which underscores the emirate's focus to further develop its aviation sector.

"While airports from the US continue to dominate the top 10 busiest airports for passengers, especially Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which maintains the number one position, there is an important change. Dubai International Airport jumped to second place for the first time," said de Oliveira.

Another major shift including Tokyo's Haneda International Airport, which jumped to fifth from 16th in 2022, made it the biggest driver in the top 10.

Meanwhile, the strength of Istanbul and New Delhi airports has kept them in the top 10 rankings, in seventh and 10th positions, marking significant progress for both.

ACI World said in its report that changes in global airport rankings showed "Strengthening the Asia-Pacific and Middle East hubs with the eternal US leaders".

Five of the airports that are in the top 10 for total passenger traffic are in the US.

It is known, global total passenger traffic in 2023 reached nearly 8.5 billion, an increase of 27.2 percent from 2022 and an increase of 93.8 percent from the pre-pandemic rate in 2019, according to ACI's initial data.