Dubai International Airport (DXB) has welcomed 1.5 billion passengers since it first opened in 1960 which’s another big achievement for one of the most active international airports in the world.
This achievement was mentioned during the Government of Dubai Media Offices International Media Briefings, where Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths talked about the strength of Dubais air travel industry and future plans for its development.
DXB served 31.5 million passengers during the half of 2026 and monthly traffic rose from 5 million passengers in June to 6.3 million in July. A 26 per cent increase in one month.
Griffiths said the strong recovery shows the need for Dubai as a top global destination and a major transit point. Airline seats have returned to about 84 per cent of levels and passenger numbers have hit roughly 78 per cent. More airline seats are expected to come before the winter season.
Dubai International is expected to handle around 70 million passengers in 2026. Griffiths also repeated that annual traffic could reach 100 million passengers by the end of 2027 as demand and airline seats keep increasing.
Al Maktoum International expansion
At the time work on Al Maktoum International Airport is moving forward with the first big part expected to start operating at the beginning of the next decade.
The first part will be able to handle 150 million passengers each year compared to DXBs maximum of about 115 million. When fully built Al Maktoum International is supposed to be able to handle up to 260 million passengers a year.
The airports second runway is expected to open by the end of 2027. The built airport is planned to have five runways with four in regular use and one for extra help.
The switch from DXB to Al Maktoum International will happen slowly. Flydubai might start moving five or six planes to the airport as early as next year adding more space for both flydubai and Emirates at DXB.
Griffiths said the new airport will not be big but also focused on the experience of passengers. Facial recognition, intelligence and other tools are expected to make lines shorter and simplify things like checking in and dropping off bags. Dubai Airports is also talking with airlines about direct routes possibly increasing connections between Dubai and cities, in Europe and Africa.