DUBAI, 22nd August 2023 (WAM) — Dubai International Airport (DXB) has announced a major milestone in its recovery, with passenger traffic surpassing 2019 levels in the first half of the year. The busiest international hub in the world welcomed 41.6 million customers in the first half of the year, which is slightly more than 100% compared to the traffic recorded in the first six months of 2019.

DXB delivered a strong performance throughout the second quarter, with passenger traffic up 42.7% year-on-year to 20.3 million. May was the busiest month in the second quarter, with 6.9 million visitors.

Thanks to a strong second quarter, DXB traffic reached 41.6 million customers in the first half of 2022, up 49.1% from 27.9 million in the first half of 2022.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said: “The first half of DXB has been rewarding and, despite the increase in customer numbers, we are very proud to know that we continue to deliver excellent operations and a great customer experience.”

“As we recover, with traffic exceeding pre-pandemic levels in the first half, we remain committed to ensuring that every customer who passes through our airport leaves with a smile,” he said.

DXB’s baggage performance remains among the best in the world, with baggage volumes up 7% in the first half of 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2019. So far this year, DXB has handled approximately 37.2 million bags without compromising bag delivery to customers: 92% of all bags were delivered to customers within 45 minutes.

During the first half of 2023, DXB managed multiple seasonal peaks and continued to deliver a smooth customer experience through exceptional performance, exceeding agreed KPIs in collaboration with strategic airport partners.

DXB has received numerous awards, including a certificate from the Airports Council International for its continued efforts to prioritize a safe and inclusive airport experience for customers with physical and hidden disabilities – a milestone. It has welcomed several new airlines into its family, expanding connections to new destinations and new countries.

India remains DXB’s top destination country by traffic with 6 million visitors in the first half, followed by Saudi Arabia with 3.1 million visitors and the UK with 2.8 million visitors. Other top destinations are Pakistan (2 million visitors), USA (1.8 million visitors), Russia (1.3 million visitors) and Germany (1.2 million visitors).

London dominated the list of top urban destinations with 1.7 million visitors, followed by Mumbai (1.2 million visitors) and Riyadh (1.2 million visitors).

DXB is connected to 257 destinations in 104 countries via more than 91 international airlines.

Cargo volumes at DXB increased by 16.1% year-on-year to 453,500 tonnes in the second quarter, bringing total cargo volumes for the first half to 853,500 tonnes, down 6.2% year-on-year.

In the first half of the year, DXB handled a total of 201,800 flights, which is 30.2% more than the previous year, which is 13% more than the same period in the first half of 2019. The average number of customers per flight in the first half of the year reached 214, while the load factor was 214.77%.

“We started the second term with strong demand in July and with the ongoing peak season coinciding with the reopening of schools in August, we are gearing up for a particularly busy remainder of the year. We have adjusted our forecast for this year from 83.6 million guests to 85 million, which is only 1.6% less than DXB’s annual traffic in 2019,” Paul added.

Translated by Mervat Mahmoud.

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