#Dubai Airport Sees Record Passengers After Adding Destinations - Bloomberg

Dubai Airport Sees Record Passengers After Adding Destinations - Bloomberg

Dubai International Airport predicted a record number of passengers for this year, surpassing its busiest inflow in 2018, as the emirate attracts more visitors and the hub’s main carriers, Emirates and Flydubai, expand their networks.

Passenger numbers will rise to 91 million in 2024, beating the previous record of 89.1 million set in 2018, the airport operator said in a statement on Tuesday. Dubai International said it saw a record 23 million guests passing through its terminals in the first quarter, with India remaining the top destination, followed by Saudi Arabia, the UK, and Pakistan.

The growth was “thanks in part to the proliferation of cities being added to our network by our home base carriers Emirates and Flydubai, in recent months,” Dubai Airports Chief Executive Officer Paul Griffiths said in the statement.

In order to accommodate its growth plans, Dubai’s government is proceeding with a $35 billion expansion of its second hub, Al Maktoum International Airport, in anticipation of a spike in visitors. The airfield already exists but caters mainly to cargo and some low-cost services for the time being.