Dubai International Airport (DXB) — a luxurious international hub — set a new passenger record in the first half of 2024, with 44.9 million passing through its gates. That put the airport on pace to break its yearly mark of 89.1 million passengers in 2018. The heavy traffic shows air travel’s continued post-pandemic recovery, and that the desert city is now as much a destination as a travel gateway.
Dubai International Airport: A global hub and city by the sea
DXB’s year-to-date passenger stats follow Dubai-based airline Emirates’ announcement of record profits. Both signal a city and an airport on the move, as travelers stay and experience instead of only passing through. Because of that, changes are on the way, with the hub set to move to a new location in the next decade.
Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths told the AP, “Before the pandemic, 60% of people coming through the airport were actually transiting to other cities and countries. We’ve now got 60% coming to the city and 40% in transit. That is obviously very good because it means that traffic to the city is very dynamic and buoyant.”
With that growth comes the need to expand. In April, Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced a plan to move DXB to Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) at Dubai World Central, in the city’s southern region. According to Griffiths, the goal of the expansion “really is to try and get the airport there capable of supporting something like 260 million passengers when fully developed. Now, clearly at DXB, we are limited on the land space that we’ve got available.”
When that happens, not only will it bring increased space, but middle-eastern-themed architecture. 400 gates and five parallel runways will bring massive capacity. Even more, plans call for an undulating white terminal, based on the Arabian Peninsula’s traditional Bedouin tents.
If you’re interested in traveling to Dubai, we’ve got a few ideas on what you should do when you get there.
