Dubai airport traffic sets new half-year record

Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travellers, reached a record 44.9 million in the first half of the year, its operator said on Wednesday.

The figure marked an eight percent increase from 41.6 million passengers in the same period of 2023, heading towards a new annual all-time high, Dubai Airports said.

"The record-breaking performance in the first half of this year highlights our strategic importance as a global aviation hub," chief executive Paul Griffiths said.

"We have a very optimistic outlook for the remainder of the year, and we are on track to break records with 91.8 million annual guests forecasted for 2024," he said.

The airport received 89.1 million passengers in 2018, its busiest-ever year before the pandemic.

Last year, annual passenger traffic reached 86.9 million.

The positive half-year results come despite turmoil in the region since the Israel-Hamas war started in October.

"Strong demand from key source markets such as India and the gradual but certain resurgence of markets, such as China, have been instrumental in our success," Griffiths said.

The air travel upswing has prompted Dubai to expand Al Maktoum International Airport, which has received a relatively small share of the Gulf financial hub's air traffic since 2010.

Earlier this year, the wealthy emirate announced that work had begun on a new terminal at Al Maktoum on Dubai's outskirts, which the Gulf emirate's ruler said will become "the world's largest" at a cost of almost $35 billion.

Once fully operational, the airport is expected to have a passenger capacity of 260 million annually, according to authorities.

The first phase of the project is expected to be ready within 10 years, with a capacity to accommodate 150 million passengers a year.

Authorities want it to replace Dubai International Airport, which can handle up to 120 million passengers annually and whose city-centre location prevents expansion.