Dubai International welcomed 21.2 million passengers in the first quarter, 95.6% close to 2019 indices

Hamdan bin Mohammed: Dubai consolidates its position at the forefront of international travel

  • Dubai International Airport (DXB) performed in the first quarter of this year more than expected. From the source

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His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, said in a tweet on Twitter yesterday that "Dubai is consolidating its position at the forefront of international travel and providing the best airport experience to more than 21 million passengers during the first quarter of 2023. Thank you, Ahmed bin Said. And thank you to the best international airport management team. With your efforts, Dubai continues to fly far."

His Highness' remarks came on the occasion of Dubai International Airport's announcement yesterday of achieving outstanding results since the beginning of this year, as the airport received 21 million and 256 thousand and 489 passengers during the first quarter of the year, an increase of 55.8% compared to the same quarter last year, approaching the indicators of travel movement achieved in the same period of 2019 by 95.6%, and to be the first time that the airport achieved this level of performance since the fourth quarter of 2019. When the average monthly passenger traffic reached seven million passengers.

This achievement follows the airport's excellent results last year with 66 million passengers, retaining its top spot in the list of the world's busiest international airports for the ninth consecutive year.

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According to Dubai Airports, March was the busiest month in the first quarter with 7.3 million passengers, making it the busiest after January 2020, when passenger numbers through Dubai International reached 7.8 million.

Dubai Airport connects to more than 234 destinations through 89 international airlines across 99 countries.

Top Destinations

India maintained its lead as the top destination for passengers through Dubai International with a total of three million passengers during the first quarter of 2023, while Saudi Arabia came in second place with 1.6 million passengers, while the United Kingdom and Pakistan ranked third and fourth, with a total of 1.4 million and one million passengers respectively.

The list of top international travel destinations also included the United States (840,729 passengers), Russia (628,<> passengers) and Germany (<>,<> passengers).

As for the most prominent city destinations during the first three months of this year, London topped the list with a total of 890,645 passengers, followed by Mumbai with 641,604 passengers, and Jeddah and Riyadh with about <>,<> and <>,<> passengers, respectively.

Shipping

Cargo services provided through Dubai International Airport recorded about 400,15 and 23 tonnes of cargo during the first quarter, recording a decrease of 2022% compared to the same period in 519, which amounted to about 555,<> tons.

Flights

As for the number of flights through the airport during the first quarter, it reached 100,840 flights, an annual increase of 23%, and an increase of 1.6% compared to the first quarter of 2019, when the airport recorded about 99,197 flights, while the load factor (seat occupancy) for the first quarter exceeded the levels of 2019, reaching 80% in March 2023, and the number of passengers per aircraft increased to 220, an increase of 19.5%.

optimism

Paul Griffiths, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Airports, said: "Dubai International Airport's performance in the first quarter exceeded all expectations, reflecting the significant increase in demand we are witnessing in our key markets.

"With significant developments in the international travel industry, including the relaxation of travel protocols in China, annual peak periods of domestic travel and the holiday season, we are very optimistic about the results for the second quarter and the rest of the year."

"Therefore, we have revised our passenger traffic forecast for 2023 to 83.6 million, which puts us within striking distance of reaching the annual traffic figures recorded in 2019," Griffiths said.

Strong growth

Majid Al Joker, Chief Operating Officer at Dubai Airports, said that the strong growth in passenger traffic through Dubai Airport in the first quarter of this year is due to the recovery of direct traffic, which accounted for 65% of the total traffic, in addition to strong demand from traditional markets, such as India, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, as well as the growth in demand from other markets, such as the United States, Russia and Germany, as well as the return of traffic to the Chinese market after the relaxation of travel protocols in China. Three new airlines included Cyprus Airways, U.S. United Airlines and Colombia's Vits.

Al-Joker added in an interview with the media yesterday that the average weekly movement of flights through Dubai International Airport amounted to about 7200,80 weekly flights, while the average occupancy of seats on flights reached 220% during the month of March, with an average number of passengers on each flight amounting to <> passengers.

Outlook

During a video conference, Joker also expected passenger traffic through Dubai Airport to reach more than 83.6 million passengers by the end of this year, in light of the strong results of the first quarter, and the positive expectations of movement during the summer period, which indicate an average of more than seven million passengers during the summer months, with the average occupancy expected to increase from 80% to more than 90%.

On Dubai Airport's preparations to deal with peak travel during the summer season, Al Joker pointed to Dubai Airport's many years of experience in how to manage traffic during peak periods and provide the best services to passengers, in coordination with strategic partners, by preparing advance plans to deal with passenger flows, distributing cadres and opening additional facilities when needed, pointing to Dubai Airports' investment in technological systems that facilitate the movement of passengers at all service points, such as smart gates that have reduced the time of the procedure. to just a few seconds, as well as the smart corridor currently being tested.

Al Maktoum International Airport

Majid Al Joker, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Airports, said that 18 companies are currently operating at Al Maktoum International Airport, noting that the airport handled 54,<> passengers in March.

He predicted that passenger traffic through the airport will reach 670,<> passengers by the end of this year, in light of the continued receipt of requests for operation.