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Dubai airport gears up for busiest January ever

By Pramod Kumar
Airport, Terminal, Airfield WAM
A view of DXB tarmac. An average of 287,000 guests are expected to pass through daily during this period, 8 percent higher than the same period in 2024

Dubai International (DXB) is set to welcome 4.3 million passengers in the first 15 days of the year, setting the stage for its busiest January yet.

The airport saw its highest daily traffic on January 3, with over 311,000 passengers, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported.

An average of 287,000 guests are expected to pass through daily during the first 15 days of 2025, 8 percent higher than the same period in 2024 and 6 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2018-19.

The record performance is due to a rise in international visitors flying out after the festive season, coupled with residents returning from vacations.

In November, Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports CEO, said that 2024 traffic was expected to grow 5.7 percent compared to 2023, with more tourists stopping off than ever before. 

Traffic at DXB is expected to reach nearly 92 million passengers in 2024, up from the 87 million that used the airport in 2023. 

Griffiths said that DXB “is seeing more direct traffic than ever before – a shift from the long-standing trend where transfer traffic dominated”.

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