Aviation

Dubai Airports raises 2024 traffic forecast to 91.8m

By Pramod Kumar

August 7, 2024, 6:14 AM

Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths says the company has "a very optimistic outlook for the remainder of the year”

Dubai Airports, the operator of the world’s busiest international hub, has revised its annual passenger forecast for 2024, projecting a record 91.8 million passengers, up from the 91 million forecast in May this year.

This revision follows an 8 percent year-on-year increase in passenger numbers during the first six months, totalling nearly 45 million.

“We have a very optimistic outlook for the remainder of the year,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

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“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,” he said.

India remains Dubai International Airport’s (DXB) top destination country with 6 million passengers.

Traffic from China surpassed 1 million passengers, reflecting 80 percent year-on-year growth and a 90 percent recovery compared to 2019.

Saudi Arabia followed with 3.7 million passengers, the United Kingdom with 2.9 million and Pakistan with 2.3 million. Other significant markets include the United States (1.7 million), Russia (1.3 million), and Germany (1.3 million).

The top three city destinations were London, with 1.8 million passengers, Riyadh (1.6 million) and Mumbai (1.2 million).

The total number of flight movements reached 216,000, a 7.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year. January was the busiest month, with 8 million passengers.

The average number of passengers per aircraft movement was at 213, while the annual load factor remained steady at 77 percent.

The second quarter saw 22 million arrivals, up 7.5 percent year on year.

DXB is connected to 269 destinations across 106 countries, served by 101 international airlines.