Leisure & Hospitality Dubai airport gears up for busiest January ever By Pramod Kumar January 5, 2025, 12:30 PM 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”.
Mining Ma’aden signs $1bn contracts to develop industrial cities Saudi mineral giant Ma’aden has signed three contracts worth a combined $922 million with foreign companies to develop a third phosphate fertiliser project. The majority state-owned Saudi mining company announced the agreements in a note to the Saudi bourse on Thursday, coinciding with the final day of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh. Ma’aden is […] 3 hours ago
Tax $660m a year ‘sin tax’ target set by Kuwait Kuwait hopes to raise 200 million dinars ($660 million) a year through a “sin tax” on unhealthy products as part of tax reforms proposed by the International Monetary Fund, the country’s finance minister said on Wednesday. Noora Al-Fassam told the official Kuwaiti news agency that her ministry was working on a new law for a […] 4 hours ago
Transport Tenders issued for high speed Abu Dhabi-Dubai rail link Tenders have been issued for the design and construction of central components in a high-speed rail link between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Etihad Rail, the national rail company of the UAE, has sent out tenders for designing and constructing civil works and station packages for the line connecting the two cities as part of the […] 5 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE Aviation Wizz Air increases flights from UAE to Israel after ceasefire The budget carrier Wizz Air is increasing the number of flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The airline had previously scaled back its Tel Aviv-Abu Dhabi service to four flights a week because of the conflict, down from its pre-crisis schedule of two flights a day. […] 5 hours ago
