This airport in the United Arab Emirates recorded 18.5 million passengers in the third quarter. It has been the largest in the world in terms of international passengers for several years.
Dubai International Airport has returned to a level of passenger traffic equivalent to that before the Covid-19 pandemic which had caused a dramatic slowdown in travel around the world, airport authorities announced on Tuesday (22 November).
This airport in the United Arab Emirates has been the world’s largest in terms of international passengers for several years. The wealthy Gulf emirate was one of the first tourist destinations to open its doors to foreign travelers after the drastic health restrictions linked to Covid.
Forecast raised to 64 million passengers in 2022
“Dubai Airport recorded 18.5 million passengers in the third quarter, with quarterly traffic reaching pre-pandemic levels for the first time,” Dubai Airports said in a statement.
The figure raises the annual passenger traffic forecast to more than 64 million this year, he added.
According to Dubai Airports, the airport had registered 17.8 million passengers in the first quarter of 2020 before it closed to passenger flights in March that year due to Covid-19.
“Passenger traffic growth has been tremendous throughout the year and continues to exceed our expectations,” Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said in the statement.
Dubai now hopes to take advantage of the FIFA World Cup which has been taking place since Sunday in Qatar, located an hour away by plane, with a sharp increase in flights between the Gulf countries.