While regional airspace constraints continued to influence traffic during the first half of the year, guest volumes increased steadily throughout Q2, rising from 3.5 million in April to 4.5 million in May and 5 million in June. The steady return of international carriers, improving connectivity and strengthening load factors signal resilient demand across key markets and growing confidence ahead of DXB's traditionally busier second half.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said: "The first half of the year tested every part of the aviation system, and demonstrated our resilience. As capacity steadily returns across the board, demand is responding immediately. That is particularly important for DXB, where international transfers account for a significant share of traffic. Strong performance across the airport community in recent months has left us well placed to accommodate returning demand, work closely with our airline partners, and reinforce Dubai’s position as a leading global hub."

As airline schedules rebuild, Dubai Airports continues to invest in the future of DXB through a broad programme of enhancements spanning guest facilities, a new consolidated remote departures experience, expanded self-service options, the continued evolution of biometric systems, smarter operational capabilities, improved passenger flow and targeted capacity improvements. Across the airport, deployment of technology and refinements to the design and functionality of key guest areas are also underway, creating more comfortable and intuitive spaces while enhancing movement through the airport and the comfort of waiting areas. Together, these initiatives will simplify journeys, increase operational flexibility and further enhance the seamless experience expected by the millions of guests who travel to and through Dubai's gateway to the world.

Looking ahead, Dubai Airports anticipates stronger momentum in the second half of the year, supported by the ongoing recovery of airline networks and frequencies, rising international transfer traffic, easing travel advisories across key source markets, the winter schedule and Dubai's full calendar of global business, leisure and sporting events.

H1 Performance at a Glance

DXB welcomed 13 million passengers during the second quarter taking the first half traffic to 31.5 million, a 31.3% decline compared with the same period in 2025.

Aircraft movements totalled 150,600 during the first half, down 32.1% year on year, including 62,500 during the second quarter.

By the end of the first half, DXB was served by almost 50 international airlines, connecting guests to 217 destinations across 99 countries. Load factors continued to strengthen, approaching 2025 levels as international connectivity continues to expand.

Cargo volumes reached 751,340 tonnes during the first half, down 28.7% year on year, including 351,716 tonnes handled during the second quarter.

DXB processed 30.3 million bags during the first half, 28% down year on year, including 12.7 million during Q2. The mishandled baggage rate stood at 2.7 per 1,000 passengers, remaining well below the latest global industry benchmark of approximately 4.9 per 1,000 passengers.

DXB continued to deliver a seamless guest experience throughout the first half, with 98.98% of guests completing departure passport control in under 10 minutes, 98.95% clearing arrival passport control in under 15 minutes, and 99.34% passing through security in under five minutes.

I Heart DXB
At Terminal 3, Concourse B (near Gates B28), the I Heart DXB interactive installation gives departing and transiting guests a way to connect with the city before they fly. By uploading a selfie, each guest joins a living, shared portrait of Dubai in the colours of the UAE flag. The mosaic grows with every traveller who moves through DXB. Alongside it, a wall of handwritten notes gathers messages of pride and gratitude, the personal stories that give the airport and the nation its heartbeat. The experience extends beyond the installation, with rewards unlocked at participating shops throughout the airport, including souvenirs and exclusive offers.

Summer tips
Dubai Airports, in collaboration with its oneDXB partners, has activated its summer readiness plan to keep journeys smooth, safe and on time. Guests are advised to follow simple tips for a seamless experience:

• Arrive no earlier than three hours before departure and use online check-in where available.
• Guests flying with Emirates can use the airline's home, city and self-service check-in options.
• Families with children over the age of 12 can use Smart Gates to speed through passport control.
• Be aware of the latest travel regulations for the destination you’re travelling to and be prepared with all the necessary travel documents.
• Pack spare batteries and power banks in hand luggage only.
• Enhanced support is available for People of Determination, including marked accessibility routes, trained staff supporting guests wearing the Sunflower Lanyard, and a dedicated Assisted Travel Lounge in Terminal 2.
• Stay on top of flight and gate updates with DXB Express Maps, the wayfinding platform that helps guests navigate the airport with a quick QR code scan and search.

The tower now places the UAE flag at the heart of the airport, visible to every guest arriving at and departing from the city. The unveiling was marked by a special ceremonial airside event, featuring a Dubai Police parade with the ATC tower as its backdrop. Senior leaders from Dubai Airports, operational teams and oneDXB partners attended the occasion, which celebrated the collaboration, precision and shared purpose behind DXB’s daily operations. 

Majed Al Joker, COO of Dubai Airports, said: “The ATC tower is one of the most important and symbolic structures at DXB. It’s where thousands of critical decisions are made every day, helping to keep aircraft, guests and operations moving safely and efficiently through Dubai. Aviation is a fundamental pillar of the UAE’s economy, and we are committed to the continuous development of this great nation. By bringing the colours of the UAE flag to this iconic landmark, we are celebrating the ambition of the nation we serve, while recognising the extraordinary teams and partners who ensure DXB is always Flying the Flag, Connecting the World.”  

From a single runway in 1960, DXB has grown into the world’s busiest international airport, with the 89-meter ATC tower, in operation post expansion since 2000, central to the rhythm of its daily operation. Every arrival, departure and aircraft movement depends on close coordination between airside teams, airlines, ground handlers, safety teams, service partners and the wider oneDXB community. The structure features a unique buttressed center column and arched wings, resembling a futuristic avian sculpture. At the top, a sophisticated multilevel control center forms the tower’s defining feature and is where Dubai Air Navigation Services operates and ensures the smooth running of the world’s busiest international airport.  

Since the situation began on 28 February and intensified through March, Dubai’s airports remained operational despite constraints, supporting the safe movement of 6 million guests, over 32,000 aircraft movements, and 213,000 tonnes of essential cargo as of April 30.

Operations at DXB were maintained under continuously changing conditions, with schedules, passenger flows and ground handling aligned to available airspace. Coordinated decision-making across the airport ecosystem enabled the airport to sustain safe and consistent service continuity, despite severe constraints.

Following the lifting of all precautionary restrictions on UAE airspace, Dubai Airports has entered the next phase of recovery operations, ramping up daily fight movements and enabling airlines to progressively restore schedules.  Capacity is now primarily aligned to the availability of regional flight paths outside of the UAE, with ongoing coordination to optimise flows across neighbouring airspace.

This was supported by close collaboration across the oneDXB community, including international airlines led by home base carriers Emirates and flydubai, service partners and control authorities. Working in alignment, the airport community ensured the ongoing movement of passengers and cargo, while  enabling a rapid and coordinated increase in operations as capacity became available.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said: “The extraordinary events of the past few weeks are unprecedented for any major airport hub such as DXB. International transfer traffic through the Middle East region accounts for a major share of the global air travel market, with 22.4 million annual passenger journeys flowing through DXB, representing one third of the transfer traffic across the region’s hubs.  Maintaining the smooth operation of DXB is therefore critical to keep global journeys moving. Our focus has been on keeping operations safe and consistent for our customers through close coordination and rapid decision-making across the entire airport community and beyond, while ensuring the system remains ready to respond swiftly as conditions improve.

“Our collective response to these challenges has sharpened our ability to adapt at pace. That readiness will enable us to accommodate returning demand as capacity is restored, reinforcing DXB’s role as a leading global hub, even as some regional routing constraints remain.”

Dubai’s role as a global hub is closely linked to the international transfer market. Of the 99.3 million transferring passengers whose journeys could route through the Middle East, the region captures around 70%, with DXB handling 32% of that traffic. As conditions stabilise, this segment is expected to recover quickly, supported by demand that cannot be readily absorbed elsewhere.

DXB’s performance through this period reflects the readiness and adaptability of Dubai’s aviation sector to respond as traffic returns. The airport remains focused on maintaining safe and stable operations while aligning capacity with prevailing conditions and supporting airlines and guests through a period of continued adjustment.

Looking ahead, Dubai Airports’ outlook for the year remains underpinned by strong underlying demand. As airspace capacity continues to improve, DXB is actively increasing flight movements and working with airline and airspace partners to unlock additional capacity across the network. The airport is well positioned to accommodate further growth in the months ahead. At the same time, long-term expansion plans at Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC) continue to progress, supporting Dubai’s future growth as a global aviation hub.

Q1 2026 Traffic Overview
DXB welcomed 18.6 million guests in the first quarter of 2026, down 20.6% year on year, reflecting the impact of regional airspace disruptions that intensified through March. Passenger traffic in March stood at 2.5 million, down 65.7% year on year.

India was DXB’s largest country market again with 2.5 million guests, followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at 1.3 million, the United Kingdom at 1.2 million, and Pakistan at 918,000. London remained DXB’s busiest city destination with 752,000 guests, followed by Mumbai at 520,000, and Jeddah at 505,000 guests.

Cargo volumes reached 399,600 tonnes in Q1, down 22.7%, with 66,000 tonnes handled in March. Aircraft movements totalled 88,000, a 20.8% decline compared to the same period last year.

DXB processed 17.6 million bags during Q1, including 2.6 million in March, with a mishandled baggage rate of 3.5 per 1,000 passengers, compared to 1.95 per 1,000 passengers in the same period last year. For context, the latest industry benchmark places the global average at around 6.3 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers.

Dubai Airports today announced that Dubai International (DXB) welcomed 95.2 million guests in 2025, up 3.1% year on year, marking the busiest year in the airport’s history and the highest annual international passenger traffic ever recorded by any airport.

More significantly, 2025 was defined not by a single peak, but by sustained performance at record levels. DXB achieved its busiest day, month, quarter and year on record, operating at the edge of physical capacity while consistently delivering operational excellence. What would represent extraordinary strain elsewhere has become part of DXB's normal operating rhythm.

December closed as the busiest month in DXB history, with 8.7 million guests, up 6.1% year on year. The fourth quarter was also the busiest ever, with 25.1 million guests, an increase of 5.9% compared to the same period in 2024.

Total flight movements reached 118,000 in Q4, up 5%, bringing the annual total to 454,800 a rise of 3.3% year on year. Despite continued growth in movements, average passengers per movement remained strong at 214, reflecting sustained deployment of larger aircraft and high load efficiency. The annual load factor stood at 77.6%, a marginal adjustment of 0.5 percentage points.

Consistency at Scale
Rather than a story of isolated surges, 2025 demonstrated DXB’s ability to operate continuously and deliver a superior guest experience at record levels through disciplined planning and close coordination across the oneDXB community comprising airlines, service partners and government stakeholders.

DXB efficiently managed 86.75 million bags in 2025, a 4.95% year-on-year increase, marking the highest ever baggage volume handled during a calendar year. Highlighting the airport’s commitment to operational excellence, 89% of all arriving baggage was delivered to guests terminating at DXB within 45 minutes of the aircraft arriving on stand. DXB continued to deliver world-class mishandled baggage performance at 99.75%, translating to 2.47 mishandled bags per 1,000 guests. Guest processing times also remained stable at scale, with 99.35% of guests experiencing waiting times of less than 10 minutes at departure passport control, while 98.8% waiting under 15 minutes at arrival passport control. Security check waiting times remained below 5 minutes for 98.9% of guests.

Broad and Balanced Global Connectivity
India retained its position as DXB’s largest country market with 11.9 million guests, followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at 7.5 million, the United Kingdom at 6.3 million, Pakistan at 4.3 million, and the United States at 3.3 million.

Several markets recorded particularly strong growth during the year. Traffic from China increased 16.6% to 2.5 million, Russia grew 6% to 2.8 million, Turkey rose 6.7% to 2.2 million, Egypt expanded 14.3% to 1.8 million, and Italy climbed 12.5% to 1.6 million.

London remained DXB’s busiest city destination with 3.9 million guests, followed by Riyadh at 3 million, Mumbai and Jeddah at 2.4 million each, and New Delhi at 2.2 million.

By the end of 2025, DXB was connected to 291 destinations across 110 countries, served by 108 international airlines, reinforcing its position as one of the most globally connected hubs in the world.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said, “Airports are often defined by moments of intensity, but long-term performance is defined by how well those moments are sustained. In 2025, DXB showed that record traffic is no longer an exception, but part of its operating reality. That consistency at scale reflects the maturity of the system and the strength of collaboration across our oneDXB airport community to deliver excellence under growing demand.

We expect traffic to approach 99.5 million in 2026, supported by close coordination across the sector and the oneDXB community.”

Outlook
With demand continuing to build and capacity carefully managed, Dubai’s airports are entering a phase where performance is defined not by how high it can surge, but by how reliably it can sustain growth while consistently delivering a superior guest experience. As traffic patterns evolve, the complementary role of Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International (DWC) will continue to expand, ensuring the emirate remains prepared for the next era of global aviation.