177 Dubai Airport Statistics for 2026

How many passengers does Dubai International Airport handle?

Dubai International Airport (DXB) set new annual passenger records in 2024 and 2025, and 2025 ended with its strongest quarter and busiest month on record. Growth slowed in 2025, but every quarter was larger than a year earlier.

View data table

Passengers at DXB by quarter in 2025, in millions. Each quarter comes from the release for that quarter; the link is to the latest one.

Period	Value
Q1 2025	23.4m
Q2 2025	22.5m
Q3 2025	24.2m
Q4 2025	25.1m

• The fourth quarter of 2025 was DXB's strongest on record, with 25.1 million passengers, up 5.9%, and December 2025 its busiest month ever, with 8.7 million, up 6.1%. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• The annual load factor at DXB was 77.6% in 2025, down 0.5 percentage points. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• DXB handled 23.4 million passengers in the first quarter of 2025, up 1.5%. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2025 release), Apr 2025)
• The first half of 2025 brought 46 million passengers, up 2.3% and a first-half record, with 22.5 million in the second quarter, up 3.1%. (Dubai Airports (H1 2025 release), Jul 2025)
• DXB handled 24.2 million passengers in the third quarter of 2025, up 1.9%, taking January to September to 70.1 million, up 2.1%; rolling 12-month traffic reached a record 93.8 million at the end of September. (Dubai Airports (Q3 2025 release), Nov 2025)
• In 2024 DXB handled 92.3 million passengers, up 6.1% and a record at the time. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• The first quarter of 2024 brought 23,052,060 passengers, up 8.4%, then DXB's busiest quarter. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2024 release), May 2024)
• DXB handled a first-half record of 44.9 million passengers in 2024, up 8%, with 21.8 million in the second quarter, up 7.5%. (Dubai Airports (H1 2024 release), Aug 2024)
• January to September 2024 brought 68.6 million passengers, up 6.3%, with 23.7 million in the third quarter. (Dubai Airports (9M 2024 release), Nov 2024)

Dubai Airports counts all passengers ("guests") arriving, departing and transferring at DXB. The airport has no domestic flights, so every passenger is international. Load factor is the share of seats filled across all airlines, as Dubai Airports states it. ACI World counts passengers on its own basis, so its totals differ slightly and are given in the ranking section.

How has DXB grown since it opened in 1960?

DXB grew from a sand runway and a small terminal in 1960 into the world's busiest airport for international passengers by 2014. Growth was fastest in the 2000s, when new concourses and Terminal 3 raised its capacity several times.

View data table

Passengers at DXB by year, 2009-2018, in millions, rounded. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one. Dubai Airports restated the 2014 total slightly in a later table, and the chart uses the later figure.

Period	Value
2009	40.9m
2010	47.2m
2011	51.0m
2012	57.7m
2013	66.4m
2014	70.5m
2015	78.0m
2016	83.7m
2017	88.2m
2018	89.1m

• DXB opened on 30 September 1960 with a compacted-sand runway and a small terminal, able to handle aircraft up to the size of a DC-3; by 1969 it served nine airlines flying to 20 destinations. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• DXB reached 1 million passengers a year in 1974, 5 million in 1990, 10 million in 1999 and 20 million in 2004, and topped 34 million in 2007; it handled more than 402 million passengers in its first 50 years. (Dubai Airports (50th anniversary release), Sep 2010)
• Passengers reached 4.3 million in 1988 and 9.7 million by 1998, and the USD 544.5 million Concourse C, opened in 2000, raised capacity from 10 million to 23 million passengers a year. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• Terminal 3, then the world's largest terminal, opened in 2008; Concourse A, the world's largest facility built for the A380, in 2013; and the USD 1.2 billion Concourse D in 2016. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• DXB handled 40,901,752 passengers in 2009, up 9.2% on 37,441,440 in 2008. (Dubai Airports (2009 traffic results), Jan 2010)
• Traffic reached 47.2 million passengers in 2010, up 15.3%. (Dubai Airports (2010 traffic results), Jan 2011)
• In 2011 DXB handled 50.98 million passengers, up 8%, on 326,317 aircraft movements, an average of 184 passengers per passenger aircraft movement. (Dubai Airports (2011 traffic results), Jan 2012)
• Passengers rose 13.2% to 57,684,550 in 2012, when DXB passed Hong Kong to become the world's third-ranked airport for international passengers. (Dubai Airports (2012 traffic results), Jan 2013)
• In 2013 DXB handled 66,431,533 passengers, up 15.2%, on 369,953 aircraft movements, an average of 198 passengers per movement. (Dubai Airports (2013 traffic results), Jan 2014)
• DXB became the world's number 1 airport for international passengers in 2014, a year with 70,473,893 passengers in Dubai Airports' later table. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• Traffic rose 10.7% to 78,014,838 passengers in 2015. (Dubai Airports (2015 traffic results), Feb 2016)
• In 2016 DXB handled 83,654,250 passengers, up 7.2%, on 418,220 aircraft movements, or 209 passengers per flight. (Dubai Airports (2016 traffic results), Jan 2017)
• Traffic reached 88,242,099 passengers in 2017, up 5.5%. (Dubai Airports (2017 traffic results), Feb 2018)
• DXB handled 89,149,387 passengers in 2018, up 1.0%, and welcomed its one billionth international passenger that year. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• It took 51 years, from 1960 to 2011, for DXB to reach its first 500 million passengers, and seven years for the next 500 million. (Dubai Airports (history page), Apr 2026)

All totals are Dubai Airports' own counts of passengers through DXB. Dubai Airports' fact file gives two slightly different totals for 2014; this page uses the later one. Exact annual totals for 2000 to 2007 are not in the fact file, so only its milestones are shown for those years.

How did the pandemic hit DXB, and when did traffic recover?

Passenger traffic at DXB fell by more than two thirds in 2020 and passed its 2019 level again in 2023. The recovery came mostly in 2022, when traffic more than doubled.

View data table

Passengers at DXB by year, 2019-2025, in millions, rounded. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one.

Period	Value
2019	86.4m
2020	25.9m
2021	29.1m
2022	66.1m
2023	87.0m
2024	92.3m
2025	95.2m

• DXB handled 86,396,757 passengers in 2019, down 3.1% on 2018; second-quarter traffic fell 9.2% to 19,046,939 while the southern runway was closed for refurbishment from 16 April to 30 May. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• DXB ceased operations from 25 March 2020, and Dubai reopened to international tourists on 7 July 2020. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• Traffic fell 70% to 25.9 million passengers in 2020. (Dubai Airports (2020 traffic results), Feb 2021)
• In 2021 DXB handled 29,110,609 passengers, up 12.7%. (Dubai Airports (2021 traffic results), Feb 2022)
• Passengers rose 127% to 66,069,981 in 2022. (Dubai Airports (2022 traffic results), Feb 2023)
• Traffic in 2022 was 76.4% of the 2019 level. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• In 2023 DXB handled 86,994,365 passengers, up 31.7% and just under 1% above 2019. (Dubai Airports (2023 traffic results), Feb 2024)

All figures are Dubai Airports' counts of passengers through DXB. The 2019 fall came before the pandemic; Dubai Airports' fact file notes the runway closure in the second quarter.

Is Dubai International the busiest airport in the world?

DXB is the busiest airport in the world for international passengers and the second busiest for passengers overall, behind Atlanta. By number of flights it ranks lower and is outside the world's top ten.

1. 1 Atlanta (ATL) 106,302,208
2. 2 Dubai (DXB) 95,192,160
3. 3 Tokyo Haneda (HND) 91,679,814

• DXB's 2025 total on ACI World's count was 10.2% above 2019, when it ranked 4th in the world by total passengers. (ACI World (2025 passenger ranking), Jul 2026)
• In 2024 DXB handled 92,331,506 international passengers on ACI World's count, up 6.1% and 7.0% above 2019, ahead of London Heathrow with 79,194,330 and Incheon with 70,669,246. (ACI World (2024 international ranking), Apr 2025)
• DXB was also second by total passengers in 2024, behind Atlanta with 108,067,766. (ACI World (2024 rankings), Apr 2025)
• Dubai Airports says DXB has been the world's busiest airport for international passengers every year since 2014. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)

ACI World counts passengers enplaned and deplaned, with transit passengers counted once, and its 2025 table is the confirmed ranking released in July 2026. Dubai Airports' own totals are on a slightly different basis, so the two are not mixed. Aircraft movements are landings plus take-offs.

How many passengers has DXB handled in 2026?

Traffic at DXB fell sharply from March 2026, in what Dubai Airports calls a period of regional disruption, with airspace restrictions from 28 February. Monthly passenger numbers rose every month from March to July, but Dubai Airports expects the year to finish below 2025.

View data table

Passengers at DXB by month in 2026, in millions. Each month comes from the release that reported it; the link is to the latest one.

Period	Value
Mar	2.5m
Apr	3.5m
May	4.5m
Jun	5.0m
Jul	6.3m

• DXB handled 18.6 million passengers in the first quarter of 2026, down 20.6%, and 2.5 million in March, down 65.7%. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2026 release), May 2026)
• From 28 February to 30 April 2026, Dubai's airports handled 6 million passengers, over 32,000 aircraft movements and 213,000 tonnes of cargo, Dubai Airports says. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2026 release), May 2026)
• Second-quarter traffic was 13 million, with monthly passengers rising from 3.5 million in April to 4.5 million in May and 5 million in June. (Dubai Airports (H1 2026 release), Aug 2026)
• July 2026 brought 6.3 million passengers, an increase of 26% in a single month. (Dubai Airports CEO briefing, Sep 2026)
• By September 2026 airline capacity at DXB was back to 84% of previous levels and passenger volumes to 78%, the Dubai Airports CEO said. (Dubai Airports CEO briefing, Sep 2026)
• In September 2026 Dubai Airports forecast that DXB would reach 100 million passengers a year by the end of 2027. (Dubai Airports CEO briefing, Sep 2026)
• Before the disruption, in February 2026, Dubai Airports had forecast that traffic would approach 99.5 million in 2026. (Dubai Airports (2025 traffic results), Feb 2026)
• Dubai Airports expected around 3 million passengers in the first half of July 2026, with over 225,000 on the busiest day, 12 July. (Dubai Airports (July 2026 release), Jul 2026)

The disruption is described here only in Dubai Airports' own words. The 2026 and 2027 figures are Dubai Airports' forecasts, made on the dates shown; the February forecast was made before the disruption and has been replaced. As of 8 November 2026 no third-quarter traffic release had been published.

Where do passengers at DXB fly to?

India is DXB's largest country market by a wide margin, followed by Saudi Arabia and the UK, and London is its busiest city route. The number of destinations, countries and airlines grew every year from 2022 to 2025.

1. 1 India 11.9m
2. 2 Saudi Arabia 7.5m
3. 3 United Kingdom 6.3m
4. 4 Pakistan 4.3m
5. 5 United States 3.3m
6. 6 Russia 2.8m
7. 7 China 2.5m
8. 8 Turkey 2.2m

• After India, DXB's largest country markets in 2025 were Saudi Arabia with 7.5 million passengers, the UK with 6.3 million, Pakistan with 4.3 million and the US with 3.3 million. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• Among the growth markets in 2025, Russia had 2.8 million passengers, up 6%, China 2.5 million, up 16.6%, Turkey 2.2 million, up 6.7%, Egypt 1.8 million, up 14.3%, and Italy 1.6 million, up 12.5%. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• London was the busiest city route in 2025, with 3.9 million passengers, ahead of Riyadh with 3 million, Mumbai and Jeddah with 2.4 million each and New Delhi with 2.2 million. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• In 2024 India had 12 million passengers, Saudi Arabia 7.6 million, the UK 6.2 million, Pakistan 4.5 million and the US 3.5 million, while China grew 32% to 2.1 million. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• China had 3.6 million DXB passengers in 2019, more than in 2025. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• In 2021 Istanbul was DXB's busiest city route, with 916,000 passengers, ahead of Cairo with 905,000, London with 814,000 and New Delhi with 791,000. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• In 2013 India was DXB's largest country with 8,401,253 passengers, ahead of the UK with 5,099,843 and Saudi Arabia with 4,825,114, and Doha was the busiest city with 2,516,866, just ahead of London with 2,494,555. (Dubai Airports (2013 traffic results), Jan 2014)
• London took the top city spot from Doha in 2016, with 3,751,596 passengers, while India had 11,440,215. (Dubai Airports (2016 traffic results), Jan 2017)
• India accounted for 7.34 million DXB passengers in 2012. (Dubai Airports (2012 traffic results), Jan 2013)
• From January to September 2025, India had 8.8 million passengers and London 2.8 million, and the leisure destinations Dubai Airports listed included Malaysia with 687,000, Vietnam with 493,000 and the Czech Republic with 341,000. (Dubai Airports (Q3 2025 release), Nov 2025)
• In the first quarter of 2026 London was still DXB's busiest city route, with 752,000 passengers, and Pakistan was the fourth-largest country market, with 918,000. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2026 release), May 2026)
• DXB was connected to 291 destinations in 110 countries by 108 international airlines in 2025, up from 272 destinations, 107 countries and 106 airlines in 2024, 262, 104 and 102 in 2023, and 229, 99 and 88 in 2022. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• In 2019, 78 airlines flew from DXB to 245 airports in 238 cities across 103 countries. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• In the first half of 2026 DXB was served by almost 50 international airlines, flying to 217 destinations in 99 countries. (Dubai Airports (H1 2026 release), Aug 2026)
• DXB had 215 passenger destinations in 2011. (Dubai Airports (2011 traffic results), Jan 2012)

Country and city figures count passengers on flights to and from each place, not their nationality or where they live. Airline counts are of international carriers; the 2019 figures count airlines and airports, on slightly different wording.

Which are the busiest months at DXB?

In the latest full monthly table, July and August were DXB's busiest months, with January and December close behind, and May was the quietest. Since 2024 the record months have come in winter.

View data table

Passengers at DXB by month in 2018, in millions, rounded, from the latest full monthly table in Dubai Airports' fact file.

Period	Value
Jan	7.96m
Feb	6.93m
Mar	7.85m
Apr	7.61m
May	6.59m
Jun	6.80m
Jul	8.21m
Aug	8.38m
Sep	7.20m
Oct	7.01m
Nov	6.90m
Dec	7.72m

• August 2018 was DXB's busiest month that year, with 8,376,478 passengers, and May the quietest, with 6,589,264. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• January was the busiest month of the first quarter of 2024, with 7.9 million passengers. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2024 release), May 2024)
• December 2024 was the busiest month of 2024, with 8.24 million passengers, and average monthly traffic that year was 7.7 million. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• January 2025 set a monthly record at the time, with 8.5 million passengers. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2025 release), Apr 2025)
• Daily traffic averaged 254,000 passengers in the first half of 2025. (Dubai Airports (H1 2025 release), Jul 2025)
• In 2019 the third quarter was the busiest, with 23,217,492 passengers, ahead of the first with 22,230,810 and the fourth with 21,901,516. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)

Dubai Airports' fact file has full monthly tables for 2011 to 2018 only; later monthly figures come from its quarterly and annual releases.

How many flights does DXB handle, and how many passengers does each carry?

DXB handles fewer flights than the world's busiest airports by movements, but each flight carries more than 200 passengers on average, on Dubai Airports' measure. Movements reached a new high in 2024 and rose again in 2025.

1. 1 2017 409,493
2. 2 2018 408,251
3. 3 2019 373,261
4. 4 2020 183,993
5. 5 2022 343,339
6. 6 2023 416,405
7. 7 2024 440,300
8. 8 2025 454,800

• Movements in the fourth quarter of 2025 reached 118,000, up 5%, and the average was 214 passengers per movement. (Dubai Airports (2025 traffic results), Feb 2026)
• In 2024 movements rose 5.7% to 440,300, at a load factor of 78.1%. (Dubai Airports (2024 traffic results), Jan 2025)
• Each flight at DXB carried 215 passengers on average in 2024. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• Movements fell 51.4% to 183,993 in 2020, and the average number of passengers per flight fell 20.3% to 188. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• The average flight carried 226 passengers in 2018, up from 223 in 2017. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• DXB had 109,238 movements in the first quarter of 2024, up 8.3%, with a load factor of 79.1% and 217 passengers per movement. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2024 release), May 2024)
• The first half of 2024 brought 216,000 movements, at a load factor of 77%. (Dubai Airports (H1 2024 release), Aug 2024)
• Movements from January to September 2024 rose 6.4% to 327,700. (Dubai Airports (9M 2024 release), Nov 2024)
• DXB handled 111,000 movements in the first quarter of 2025, up 1.9%. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2025 release), Apr 2025)
• The first half of 2025 brought 222,000 flights, at a load factor of 76%. (Dubai Airports (H1 2025 release), Jul 2025)
• DXB handled 115,000 flights in the third quarter of 2025 and 336,000 from January to September, up 2.7%, with 213 passengers per aircraft at the end of September. (Dubai Airports (Q3 2025 release), Nov 2025)
• Movements fell 20.8% to 88,000 in the first quarter of 2026. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2026 release), May 2026)
• Aircraft movements fell 32.1% to 150,600 in the first half of 2026, with 62,500 in the second quarter. (Dubai Airports (H1 2026 release), Aug 2026)

Movements count every landing and take-off, all flights included. Passengers per flight and load factor are Dubai Airports' own measures, and it does not publish how it calculates passengers per flight, so they are not worked out here from other totals.

How many DXB passengers are changing planes?

In most periods Dubai Airports reports, more than half of DXB's passengers start or end their journey in Dubai, but a large share change planes there, and the split changes with the season. Transfer figures come on two different bases, which are not comparable.

• Direct 56%
• Transfer 44%

• In 2022 direct (point-to-point) traffic was 58% of DXB passengers and transfer traffic 42%. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• Half of DXB's traffic was direct in the third quarter of 2024, and Dubai Airports forecast around 60% direct in the fourth quarter. (Dubai Airports (9M 2024 release), Nov 2024)
• Dubai Airports expected transfer passengers to make up around 50% of the total in the first half of July 2026. (Dubai Airports (July 2026 release), Jul 2026)
• Dubai Airports says 22.4 million transfer passenger journeys a year flow through DXB, one third of the transfer traffic across the region's hubs. This counts each transfer journey once and is not comparable with DXB's total passengers. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2026 release), May 2026)
• Of 99.3 million transferring passengers whose journeys could route through the Middle East, the region captures around 70% and DXB handles 32%, on Dubai Airports' figures. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2026 release), May 2026)

Transfer passengers connect between two flights at DXB; direct passengers start or end their journey in Dubai. Dubai Airports' fact file gives two different transfer shares for full-year 2024, so no full-year 2024 split is shown. The fourth-quarter 2024 and July 2026 figures are forecasts.

How much cargo does DXB handle?

DXB handles around 2 million tonnes of cargo a year, below its 2017 peak. Freighter operations moved to Dubai World Central (DWC) in 2014 and again in March 2022, and DWC's cargo is counted separately.

1. 1 2011 2,194,264
2. 2 2012 2,279,624
3. 3 2013 2,443,624
4. 4 2014 2,423,677
5. 5 2015 2,506,092
6. 6 2016 2,592,454
7. 7 2017 2,654,542
8. 8 2018 2,641,383
9. 9 2019 2,514,918
10. 10 2020 1,932,022
11. 11 2022 1.7m
12. 12 2023 1.8m
13. 13 2024 2.2m

• DXB handled 2.2 million tonnes of cargo in 2024, up 20.5% from 1.8 million tonnes in 2023. (Dubai Airports (2024 traffic results), Jan 2025)
• Cargo fell 25.5% to 1.7 million tonnes in 2022, as freighter operations moved back to DWC in March, and 23.2% to 1,932,022 tonnes in 2020. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• DXB handled 1,927,520 tonnes of cargo in 2009, up from 1,824,991 tonnes in 2008. (Dubai Airports (2009 traffic results), Jan 2010)
• Cargo fell 1.5% to 2.19 million tonnes in 2011. (Dubai Airports (2011 traffic results), Jan 2012)
• DXB's 35,000 sqm cargo facility can handle 3.1 million tonnes a year. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• DXB handled 517,000 tonnes of cargo in the first quarter of 2025, down 3.6%. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2025 release), Apr 2025)
• First-half cargo in 2025 was just over 1 million tonnes, up 0.1%. (Dubai Airports (H1 2025 release), Jul 2025)
• Cargo fell 22.7% to 399,600 tonnes in the first quarter of 2026, with 66,000 tonnes in March. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2026 release), May 2026)
• First-half cargo in 2026 was 751,340 tonnes, down 28.7%, including 351,716 tonnes in the second quarter. (Dubai Airports (H1 2026 release), Aug 2026)

Dubai Airports counts cargo in tonnes, with mail and courier included from 2013. ACI World's ranking counts loaded and unloaded freight and mail on its own basis, so its 2025 figure is not compared with Dubai Airports' totals. DWC cargo is given in the DWC section and is not added to DXB's.

How many bags does DXB handle, and how long are the queues?

DXB handles more bags each year as traffic grows, and Dubai Airports reports that almost all passengers clear passport control and security within its target times. These are the operator's own service figures.

View data table

Bags handled at DXB by year, in millions. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one.

Period	Value
2019	73.1m
2022	62.2m
2023	77.5m
2024	81.2m
2025	86.75m

• In 2025, 89% of arriving bags for passengers ending their journey at DXB were delivered within 45 minutes, and 2.47 bags per 1,000 passengers were mishandled. (Dubai Airports (2025 traffic results), Feb 2026)
• In 2025, 99.35% of passengers waited less than 10 minutes at departure passport control, 98.8% under 15 minutes at arrivals passport control and 98.9% under 5 minutes at security. (Dubai Airports (2025 traffic results), Feb 2026)
• DXB handled 81.2 million bags in 2024 at a success rate of 99.45%, or 5.5 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers, against an international figure of 6.9 reported by SITA; 98.2% of passengers waited less than 10 minutes at departure passport control. (Dubai Airports (2024 traffic results), Jan 2025)
• DXB processed 77.5 million bags in 2023 at a success rate of 99.8%, and 95% of passengers waited less than 7 minutes at departure passport control. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• DXB scored 4.44 in ACI World's Airport Service Quality programme in 2023, its best result. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• In 2022 DXB handled 62.2 million bags, 86.2% of the 2019 level. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• In 2022, 96.2% of passengers queued 5 minutes or less at departure passport control, 95.5% waited under 13 minutes at arrivals passport control, 96.4% under 3 minutes at security, and 92% of bags reached arrivals within 45 minutes. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• DXB handled 73.1 million bags in 2019, with a delivery success rate of 99.96%. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• In the first half of 2025, 99.2% of passengers cleared departure passport control in under 10 minutes, 98.4% cleared arrivals in under 15 minutes and 98.7% passed security in under 5 minutes; 2 bags per 1,000 passengers were mishandled, against a 2024 industry average of 6.3 reported by SITA. (Dubai Airports (H1 2025 release), Jul 2025)
• DXB processed 17.6 million bags in the first quarter of 2026, and the mishandled rate rose to 3.5 per 1,000 passengers, from 1.95 a year earlier. (Dubai Airports (Q1 2026 release), May 2026)
• DXB processed 30.3 million bags in the first half of 2026, down 28%, with 12.7 million in the second quarter, and mishandled 2.7 per 1,000 passengers, against a global benchmark of about 4.9. (Dubai Airports (H1 2026 release), Aug 2026)
• In the first half of 2026, 98.98% of passengers completed departure passport control in under 10 minutes, 98.95% cleared arrivals in under 15 minutes and 99.34% passed security in under five minutes. (Dubai Airports (H1 2026 release), Aug 2026)
• DXB's baggage system is 175 km long, an average bag spends 29 minutes in it, and it handled up to 9.3 million bags a month at the 2018 peak. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)

Queue times and baggage rates are Dubai Airports' own measures, averaged by passengers processed. The SITA and global benchmarks are as quoted by Dubai Airports. Dubai Airports does not publish flight punctuality in these releases.

How big are Emirates and flydubai, the airlines based at DXB?

Emirates and flydubai, both based at DXB, report on their own networks and their own financial years, so their figures are not airport counts. Emirates carried slightly fewer passengers in 2025-26 than a year earlier but made a record profit, and flydubai had a record year in 2025.

• Boeing 777X 270
• Airbus A350 54
• Boeing 787 35
• Boeing 777F 8

• Emirates' seat factor was 78.4% in 2025-26, with seat capacity down 1%. (Emirates Group (2025-26 results), May 2026)
• In 2024-25 Emirates carried 53.7 million passengers, up 3%, at a seat factor of 78.9%. (Emirates Group (2024-25 results), May 2025)
• The Emirates Group made a record profit before tax of AED 24.4 billion (US$6.6 billion) in 2025-26 on revenue of AED 150.5 billion (US$41.0 billion), and employed 130,919 people. (Emirates Group (2025-26 results), May 2026)
• Emirates' own revenue rose 2% to AED 130.9 billion (US$35.7 billion) in 2025-26, and its capacity grew 1% to 60.6 billion available tonne kilometres. (Emirates Group (2025-26 results), May 2026)
• At 31 March 2026 Emirates flew to 152 cities in 80 countries with 277 aircraft, an average age of 10.8 years, and SkyCargo had 13 Boeing 777 freighters. (Emirates Group (2025-26 results), May 2026)
• Emirates carried 21.8 million passengers from April to September 2026, down 22%, at a seat factor of 72.0% against 79.5% a year earlier, and was operating 91% of its pre-disruption network at 30 September. (Emirates Group (2026-27 half-year results), Nov 2026)
• Emirates' capacity fell 10% to 28.2 billion available tonne kilometres from April to September 2026, and it broke ground on a US$5.1 billion engineering and maintenance facility at Al Maktoum International, due in the mid-2030s. (Emirates Group (2026-27 half-year results), Nov 2026)
• flydubai made a pre-tax profit of AED 2.2 billion (US$591 million) in 2025 on revenue of AED 13.6 billion, up 6%, and a profit after tax of AED 1.9 billion (US$531 million). (flydubai (2025 results), Feb 2026)
• flydubai operated 126,604 flights in 2025 and took delivery of 12 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, taking its fleet to 97, with an average age of 5.5 years. (flydubai (2025 results), Feb 2026)
• flydubai's network grew to 140 destinations in 58 countries in 2025. (flydubai (2025 results), Feb 2026)

Emirates reports on a financial year ending 31 March and flydubai on the calendar year. Both count passengers across their whole networks, so their totals are not comparable with DXB's airport count, which covers every airline and counts arriving, departing and transfer passengers.

How busy is Al Maktoum International (DWC)?

Al Maktoum International, at Dubai World Central (DWC), is Dubai's second airport. It handles far fewer passengers than DXB, mostly on routes to Russia and the CIS, and is home to Dubai's freighter operators.

1. 1 2016 850,633
2. 2 2017 904,940
3. 3 2018 900,202
4. 4 2019 1.6m
5. 5 2023 540,000+
6. 6 2024 1.1m+

• DWC opened for cargo on 27 June 2010 and for passengers on 27 October 2013, with Wizz Air as the launch airline, and all cargo operators had moved there from DXB by May 2014. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• DWC is home to 20 cargo operators flying to as many as 43 cities, and its passenger terminal has 24 gates and 104 check-in desks. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• The DWC passenger terminal was expanded in 2018 from 5 million to 26 million passengers a year. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• DWC handled 904,940 passengers in 2017, up 6.4%, 900,202 in 2018, and 1.6 million in 2019, up 81.5%, as airlines moved there during the 45-day closure of a DXB runway. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• DWC handled more than 540,000 passengers in 2023 and more than 1.1 million in 2024, up 95%; from January to September 2025 it handled 915,000, up 35.9%. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• DWC handled 972,295 tonnes of freight in 2017, 987,986 tonnes of cargo in 2018 and 911,571 tonnes in 2019, down 7.7%. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• DWC handled 576,000 tonnes of cargo in 2023 and 481,000 tonnes from January to September 2025, up 1.6%. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• DWC had nearly 50,000 flight movements in 2024 and 42,800 from January to September 2025, up 25%. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• DWC had 29,959 flight movements in 2018 and 36,949 in 2019, up 23.3%. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• The CIS was DWC's top market in 2024, with 727,000 passengers, and Russia its top country, with 713,000; Moscow was the busiest city, with 395,000, ahead of Sochi with 80,000 and Riyadh with 60,000. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• From January to September 2025 the CIS was again DWC's top market, with 497,000 passengers, ahead of the GCC with 153,000 and Western Europe with 115,000. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• DXB's northern runway closed for refurbishment from 9 May to 22 June 2022, and more than 100 daily flights moved to DWC. (Dubai Airports (Fact File), Mar 2026)
• DWC handled some 650,000 passengers on 6,200 flights during those runway works. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• During the 2022 football World Cup, an estimated 200,000 passengers flew on match-day shuttles between DWC and Doha, on up to 120 flights a day. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)

All DWC figures are Dubai Airports' counts for DWC only and are not added to DXB's. DWC flight movements include cargo and general aviation flights.

When will Dubai's flights move from DXB to Al Maktoum International?

Dubai plans to move all of DXB's operations to an expanded Al Maktoum International (DWC), and Dubai Airports expects DWC to become the main gateway in the early 2030s. Dubai Airports' statements give different figures for how many passengers DXB itself can take.

1. 1 Terminal 3 232
2. 2 Terminal 1 211
3. 3 Terminal 2 52
4. 4 Concourse D 31

• The new DWC terminal approved in April 2024 will have 400 aircraft gates and five parallel runways, and all of DXB's operations are to transfer to DWC in the coming years. (Government of Dubai Media Office (Apr 2024), Apr 2024)
• Dubai Airports puts the DWC Phase 2 expansion at USD 35 billion, aiming at a 150 million passenger facility within ten years and an ultimate 12 million tonnes of cargo a year, with five runways, four of them independent, and over 400 contact stands. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)
• By June 2026 contracts worth AED 13 billion were under way and packages worth more than AED 55 billion were to be awarded next; more than 17,000 concrete piles had been installed and over 45 million cubic metres excavated. (Government of Dubai Media Office (Jun 2026), Jun 2026)
• The Dubai Airports CEO said in September 2026 that DWC's second runway is due to open by the end of 2027. (Dubai Airports CEO briefing, Sep 2026)
• Dubai Airports said in November 2025 that DWC is set to take over as Dubai's main international gateway in the early 2030s. (Dubai Airports (Q3 2025 release), Nov 2025)
• Dubai Airports' history page, updated in 2026, says DXB can handle up to 100 million passengers a year, rising to over 120 million through a process enhancement programme. (Dubai Airports (history page), Apr 2026)
• In September 2026 the Dubai Airports CEO put DXB's maximum capacity at around 115 million passengers a year. (Dubai Airports CEO briefing, Sep 2026)
• DXB has three terminals with 526 check-in counters, a built-up area of 2,122,474 sqm and an airport perimeter of 7 km by 2.5 km. (Dubai Airports (online fact file), Nov 2026)

The two DXB capacity figures come from different Dubai Airports statements and are given with their dates; this page does not choose between them. The government gives the cost of the DWC expansion in dirhams and Dubai Airports in US dollars, for the same project. Timelines are those stated by Dubai Airports and the government.

How much does aviation add to Dubai's economy?

Aviation is one of the largest parts of Dubai's economy on Oxford Economics' estimates, which count airlines and airports, their suppliers and the spending of visitors who fly in. Each study was commissioned by Emirates and Dubai Airports.

1. 1 Emirates (core) AED 75bn
2. 2 Visitor spending AED 43bn
3. 3 Dubai Airports and others (core) AED 19bn

• The 2024 study forecast that aviation will support AED 196 billion of value added, 32% of Dubai's forecast GDP, and 816,000 jobs by 2030. (Oxford Economics (2024 study), Oct 2024)
• Emirates' core impact in 2023 was AED 75 billion of value added, 15% of Dubai's GDP, and 236,000 jobs. (Oxford Economics (2024 study), Oct 2024)
• Dubai Airports and other aviation businesses, excluding Emirates, had a core impact of AED 19 billion of value added, 3.7% of Dubai's GDP, and 67,000 jobs in 2023. (Oxford Economics (2024 study), Oct 2024)
• International visitors flying to Dubai spent an estimated AED 66 billion in 2023, generating AED 43 billion of value added, 8.5% of Dubai's GDP, and 329,000 jobs. (Oxford Economics (2024 study), Oct 2024)
• Construction of the DWC expansion is expected to add an estimated AED 6.1 billion to Dubai's GDP in 2030 and support 132,000 jobs. (Oxford Economics (2024 study), Oct 2024)
• An earlier Oxford Economics study, published in 2014 and also commissioned by Emirates and Dubai Airports, found aviation contributed $26.7 billion to Dubai's economy in 2013 and supported 416,500 jobs, 21% of employment, and forecast $53.1 billion and 754,500 jobs in 2020. (Oxford Economics (2014 study), Nov 2014)

Both studies were commissioned by Emirates and Dubai Airports: the latest in 2024, covering 2023, and an earlier one in 2014, covering 2013. They cover the whole aviation sector, not DXB alone, and include the spending of visitors who fly to Dubai. The 2030 figures are forecasts in 2023 prices, and the 2014 study's forecasts for 2020 were made before the pandemic.

What is Dubai Airports doing on energy, waste and accessibility?

Dubai Airports reports cutting electricity use against 2019, diverting most of its waste from landfill and adding rooftop solar at DXB and DWC. These figures come from its first ESG report, published in October 2026.

View data table

Share of Dubai Airports' waste diverted from landfill, from its ESG Impact Report.

Period	Value
2025	76%
May 2026	100%

• Dubai Airports had cut electricity use by 144.72 GWh against its 2019 baseline by June 2025. (Dubai Airports (ESG Impact Report), Oct 2026)
• It diverted 76% of its waste from landfill in 2025, and the rate reached 100% in May 2026. (Dubai Airports (ESG Impact Report), Oct 2026)
• Its rooftop solar programme across DXB and DWC totals 45 MWp. (Dubai Airports (ESG Impact Report), Oct 2026)
• Dubai Airports' seven food-waste digesters can process 4,900 kg a day between them. (Dubai Airports (ESG Impact Report), Oct 2026)
• 52,619 people across 14 partner organisations completed accessibility training in 2025, and 36,040 sunflower lanyards had been given out by the end of the year. (Dubai Airports (ESG Impact Report), Oct 2026)

The ESG report covers 2024 and 2025 and follows ACI's ESG reporting framework, according to Dubai Airports. The figures are Dubai Airports' own and cover its operations, not those of the airlines.

Methodology and sources

Figures come from Dubai Airports, which runs DXB and DWC, from ACI World's airport rankings, from the Government of Dubai Media Office, from the airlines' own results and from Oxford Economics' studies commissioned by Emirates and Dubai Airports. Each figure links to the release or report that carries it, with the date, and Dubai Airports figures are labelled by release. Airport counts, airline counts and ACI rankings are kept apart, DWC figures are always labelled DWC, and forecasts are labelled with who made them and when. Where Dubai Airports restated a figure, the later value is used. The page is reviewed monthly and the date is shown at the top.

• ACI World (2024 international ranking) · Apr 2025
• ACI World (2024 rankings) · Apr 2025
• ACI World (2025 passenger ranking) · Jul 2026
• Dubai Airports (2 Nov 2026 statement) · Nov 2026
• Dubai Airports (2009 traffic results) · Jan 2010
• Dubai Airports (2010 traffic results) · Jan 2011
• Dubai Airports (2011 traffic results) · Jan 2012
• Dubai Airports (2012 traffic results) · Jan 2013
• Dubai Airports (2013 traffic results) · Jan 2014
• Dubai Airports (2015 traffic results) · Feb 2016
• Dubai Airports (2016 traffic results) · Jan 2017
• Dubai Airports (2017 traffic results) · Feb 2018
• Dubai Airports (2020 traffic results) · Feb 2021
• Dubai Airports (2021 traffic results) · Feb 2022
• Dubai Airports (2022 traffic results) · Feb 2023
• Dubai Airports (2023 traffic results) · Feb 2024
• Dubai Airports (2024 traffic results) · Jan 2025
• Dubai Airports (2025 traffic results) · Feb 2026
• Dubai Airports (50th anniversary release) · Sep 2010
• Dubai Airports (9M 2024 release) · Nov 2024
• Dubai Airports (ESG Impact Report) · Oct 2026
• Dubai Airports (Fact File) · Mar 2026
• Dubai Airports (H1 2024 release) · Aug 2024
• Dubai Airports (H1 2025 release) · Jul 2025
• Dubai Airports (H1 2026 release) · Aug 2026
• Dubai Airports (H1 2026 release) · Aug 2026
• Dubai Airports (history page) · Apr 2026
• Dubai Airports (July 2026 release) · Jul 2026
• Dubai Airports (online fact file) · Nov 2026
• Dubai Airports (Q1 2024 release) · May 2024
• Dubai Airports (Q1 2025 release) · Apr 2025
• Dubai Airports (Q1 2026 release) · May 2026
• Dubai Airports (Q1 2026 release) · May 2026
• Dubai Airports (Q3 2025 release) · Nov 2025
• Dubai Airports CEO briefing · Sep 2026
• Emirates Group (2024-25 results) · May 2025
• Emirates Group (2025-26 results) · May 2026
• Emirates Group (2026-27 half-year results) · Nov 2026
• flydubai (2025 results) · Feb 2026
• Government of Dubai Media Office (Apr 2024) · Apr 2024
• Government of Dubai Media Office (Jun 2026) · Jun 2026
• Oxford Economics (2014 study) · Nov 2014
• Oxford Economics (2024 study) · Oct 2024
• Oxford Economics (2024 study) · Oct 2024