DUBAI, UAE (Associated Press) — More than 21.2 million people used the terminals at Dubai International Airport in the first three months of 2019, bringing the airport close to its pre-coronavirus pandemic levels of visitation.

As the hub for the long-haul airline Emirates, the Dubai International Airport is a barometer for the aviation sector worldwide.

“DXB’s performance in the first quarter has exceeded our expectations and reflects the strong growth in demand that we are continuing to see across our key markets,” Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said in a statement.

Dubai International Airport, a major East-West transit point, is expected to see millions more passengers now that China is relaxing its travel restrictions and Saudi Arabia has lifted all visa restrictions for the annual hajj pilgrimage.

On Tuesday, airport officials announced a rise of more than 5 million passengers for 2023, bringing the total to 83.6 million. In 2019, right before the pandemic, the airport served an all-time high of 86.4 million passengers.

For the first three months of 2023, March was the busiest month, with 7.3 million passengers. According to airport officials, that’s the most travellers they’ve seen in a single month since January 2020, when 7.8 million flew through.
The airport’s usual destinations of India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom have been the main drivers of passenger traffic this year. Dubai is one of the few destinations in the world still accessible to Russians despite Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine, thus the Russian market is very important.

Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central is a massive facility in the southern reaches of the city-state that is eventually slated to replace Dubai International Airport. Last week, Emirates’ president Tim Clark acknowledged the carrier still has some of its double-decker Airbus A380s parked there. More travellers will pass through DXB once Emirates resumes full service, boosting the city’s vital tourism industry.

The 234 destinations served by Dubai International Airport in 99 countries.

SOURCE :- https://apnews.com/article/dubai-airport-emirates-air-travel-2d1365f8be6ef45d3d82a152ee1f3b03