Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

DXB remains world’s busiest international airport

By Pramod Kumar
The number of international passengers at DXB reached nearly 87 million in 2023, rising 32% from the previous year Wam
The number of international passengers at DXB reached nearly 87 million in 2023, rising 32% from the previous year

Dubai International (DXB) has maintained its status as the world’s busiest international airport, beating London and Amsterdam, the Airports Council International (ACI), an association of world airports, said in a new report.

DXB has secured the top place for the 10th consecutive year, with the number of international passengers reaching nearly 87 million in 2023, rising 32 percent from the previous year. 

Dubai Airports is “determined to maintain DXB’s dominant position for the next decade and beyond through sustained collaboration and innovation”, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported, quoting Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths.

Person, Electronics, Mobile Phone

Newsletter
Get the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox every week

London’s Heathrow Airport remained in the second place, having welcomed almost 75 million international passengers in the same period, a 29 percent year on year increase.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol retained its third position, with nearly 62 million international passengers in 2023, registering an 18 percent annual growth. 

The global total passenger forecast for 2023 stands close to 8.5 billion, recovering by 94 percent from pre-pandemic levels, the ACI said. 

The influx of passengers at international airports has been central in bolstering the recovery of hubs reliant on this segment.

ACI world director general Luis Felipe de Oliveira said global air travel in 2023 was chiefly fuelled by the international segment, propelled by factors such as China’s reopening and a growing inclination towards travel despite macroeconomic conditions.

The US continued to dominate the top 10 busiest airports for passengers, with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport retaining its number one position.

However, preliminary data from ACI has revealed that Asia-Pacific and Middle East hubs are strengthening.

The top 10 airports collectively account for nearly 10 percent of global air traffic, serving 806 million passengers, up 20 percent from 2022.

Airport rankings are based on data gathered from over 2,600 airports across more than 180 countries and territories globally.  

Latest articles

Taaleem's schools offer 'exclusive educational experiences' including access to high-tech equipment profits

Dubai school operator Taaleem increases profit by 55%

Dubai school operator Taaleem has reported revenue of AED945.2 million ($257.3 million) for its 2023-24 financial year – a 15.5 percent year-on-year increase. More student enrolments and the opening of new schools helped Taaleem to increase net profit before tax by 55 percent, to AED182 million, in the financial year ending August. Taaleem’s shares were […]

Shein IPO

Mubadala-backed Shein courts investors before London IPO

Chinese fashion retailer Shein, which is backed by the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, is courting European investors before an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange. Shein is due to hold informal meetings to answer questions and test the investment appetite of major investors in the coming weeks, before its planned IPO […]

Workers stand on a scaffold in Dubai. Building a high rise in the UAE can be as much as two thirds cheaper than in other major cities

Apartments in UAE among cheapest to build in the world

Building a standard residential high-rise in Dubai or Abu Dhabi is up to two-thirds cheaper than in other major global cities, thanks to land, labour and raw materials all costing much less. Land is up to three times cheaper in the UAE compared with the prices paid in New York, London, Hong Kong and Singapore […]

Despite challenges to the economy, Kuwait's bank sector remained resilient, the country's central bank says

Kuwait’s economy holds up against challenges, says central bank

Robust spending and “long-due” structural reforms expected to accelerate following “recent political developments” will help Kuwait’s economy overcome some challenges, according to the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK). Kuwait faced multiple challenges in 2023 in the face of high inflation, rising global interest rates and bubbling geopolitical tensions in the region, according to CBK’s 12th […]