Dubai International (DXB) has recorded a whopping 44.9 million guests during the first six months of this year, marking an 8% YoY increase.
Meanwhile, with Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism recording 9.31 million international visitors in H1 2024, both figures tie in closely with the growth of Dubai’s GDP, which reached AED 115 billion in Q1 2024, and reinforces the Emirate’s appeal as a global hub for tourism, talent, enterprises, and investors.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, commented, “The record-breaking performance in the first half of this year highlights our strategic importance as a global aviation hub. Dubai is at the forefront of global cities when it comes to attracting talent, businesses, and tourists from around the world, and we are proud to be the gateway to the city, driving growth and enhancing the airport experience for every guest. 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. We have a very optimistic outlook for the remainder of the year, and we are on track to break records with 91.8 million annual guests forecasted for 2024.”
Established and growing markets
The size and significance of DXB’s established and growing markets including South Asia, Western Europe, the GCC, and East Asia no doubt plays a crucial role in the airport’s continued success. In the first half of 2024, India remains DXB’s top destination country with 6.1 million passengers, while traffic from China exceeded 1 million passengers, representing 80% YoY growth and a 90% recovery compared to 2019 levels.
DXB’s top destination countries after India are Saudi Arabia (3.7 million guests), the United Kingdom (2.9 million) and Pakistan (2.3 million), the United States (1.7 million), Russia (1.3 million), and Germany (1.3 million). The top three city destinations were London (1.8 million), Riyadh (1.6 million), and Mumbai (1.2 million).
DXB is connected to 269 destinations across 106 countries and is served by 101 international airlines.
Key figures
While the busiest month was January with 7.9 million guests, the overall number of flight movements reached 216,000, a 7.2% increase compared to the H1 2023; and the airport managed a record 39.7 million bags, with 92% on-time delivery of bags within 45 minutes of the aircraft arriving on stand.
The average number of guests per aircraft movement was 213, and the load factor remained steady at 77% compared to H1 2023. Direct traffic accounted for 56% of the total, witnessing a slight increase, while transfer traffic comprised 44%.
Meanwhile, during the second quarter of 2024, the airport saw 21.8 million guests, an increase of 7.5% compared to the same period last year and total movements were recorded at 107,000.
Enhancing the guest experience
In its bid to continuously enhance guest experience, DXB has shared some new developments travellers can already look forward to including colour-coded car parks for easier navigation, a new signature aroma in Al Majlis to create a welcoming atmosphere befitting the VIP facility, and an advanced queue management system which will help the airport anticipate and prevent queues from building up across touchpoints.
DXB reports that during H1, 98% of guests experienced under 15 minutes at passport control and 95% of guests proceeded through security screening in under three minutes.
