Dubai airport reaches 1.5 billion passenger milestone
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai International Airport has handled 1.5 billion passengers since opening in 1960, marking a new milestone as the city prepares to shift its aviation growth to the much larger Al Maktoum International Airport. The cumulative figure was disclosed during a Government of Dubai Media Office briefing with Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths, who said DXB’s…
The Dubai International Airport (DXB) has reached a significant milestone, processing its 1.5 billionth passenger since opening its doors in 1960. This achievement comes as Dubai prepares to shift its aviation growth to the larger Al Maktoum International Airport. During a briefing with Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths, it was revealed that DXB handled 31.5 million passengers in the first half of 2026, marking a rebound in traffic after a sharp decline due to regional aviation disruption earlier in the year.
Monthly passenger volumes saw a 26 per cent increase from June to July, reaching 6.3 million. Griffiths expects DXB to handle approximately 70 million passengers in 2026, with annual traffic potentially reaching 100 million by the end of 2027. Despite the Iran war and temporary Gulf airspace closures disrupting operations, the airport's traffic and capacity have recovered strongly, with more airlines expected to restore services.
DXB remains the leading passenger market for India, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom, with new-generation longer-range narrow-body aircraft set to support additional direct routes. The airport currently connects to about 240 cities, with more destinations expected as networks rebuild. DXB's maximum annual capacity is estimated at 115 million passengers, while Al Maktoum International Airport is designed to handle up to 260 million passengers annually.
The transfer of operations to DWC is expected to begin in 2032, with the first phase providing capacity for 150 million passengers per year.
Written by urgent.news from Arabian Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
