Dubai International (DXB) remained the busiest global airport in February, data showed.
With 4.73 million seats, DXB stood comfortably ahead of Atlanta at 4.48 million seats.
Dubai International had overtaken Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson last month, according to global travel data provider OAG.
It’s important to note that the list of global airports comprises both interntional and domestic traffic.
The fact that DXB, despite having barely any local traffic, has overtaken airports with significant domestic traffic is a testament to the airport’s, as well as the emirate’s, massive drive to boost tourism while maintaining high levels of safety.
Tokyo Haneda was third on the list with 4.21 million seats, followed by Guangzhou (4.17 million), Shanghai Pudong (3.89 million) and London Heathrow (3.88 million).
Busiest airports (domestic and international traffic)
- Dubai International – 4,730,161 seats
- Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson – 4,484,465 seats
- Tokyo (Haneda) – 4,211,320 seats
- Guangzhou – 4,172,157 seats
- Shanghai Pudong – 3,899,165 seats
- London Heathrow – 3,887,045 seats
- Dallas Fort Worth – 3,777,569 seats
- Denver International – 3,544,856 seats
- Beijing Capital International – 3,510,111 seats
- Istanbul Airport – 3,506,698 seats
Busiest international airports
In terms of international airports (calculated using international frequency only, not domestic), too, DXB (4.73 million) significantly outranked the second-placed London Heathrow (3.63 million).
Seoul Incheon (3.27 million), Singapore Changi (3.26 million) and Amsterdam (2.94 million) were next on the list.
DXB crosses pre-pandemic levels
DXB welcomed 87 million guests in 2023, surpassing not only Dubai Airports’ own yearly forecast but also pre-pandemic levels of traffic, the airport said earlier this week.
The airport forecasts it will receive 88.8 million guests in 2024, putting the hub within striking distance of its previous all-time high record of 89.1 million guests set in 2018.
In 2023, DXB witnessed a surge in guest numbers, reaching a total of 86,994,365, an impressive year-on-year increase of 31.7 percent. The figure stood at 86.4 million in 2019.
The 2023 numbers were driven by robust growth in the second half of the year, during which the airport recorded a total of 45.4 million guests.
With 7.8 million guests, December was the busiest month in the fourth quarter, during which the airport welcomed a total of 22.4 million guests, a year-on-year growth of 13.8 percent compared to Q4 of last year. Q3 remained the quarter with highest traffic since 2019 with 23 million guests while August, with 7.9 million guests, was the month with the highest traffic.
As per the latest data for 2023, DXB is currently connected to 262 destinations across 104 countries through 102 international carriers.
