DXB receives over 66 million passengers in 2022

Dubai International (DXB) airport received over 66 million passengers in 2022, eclipsing earlier forecasts of 64.3 million.

Read: Passenger traffic at Dubai’s DXB forecasted to reach 64.3 million in 2022

Passenger numbers, which totalled 66,069,981, grew 127 per cent year-on-year, driven by strong growth in Q4 of 2022.

Read: Dubai’s DXB welcomes 29.1 million passengers in 2021, remains world’s busiest airport

The airport received 19.729 million passengers during the fourth quarter of last year, up 67 per cent compared to Q4 2021. Q4 2022 was also the busiest quarter since 2019.

In 2022, we outpaced our annual forecasts and welcomed over 66 million guests to #DXB, crafting seamless journeys and delivering exceptional guest experiences along the way 💪

Read more here: https://t.co/FdJUl83Vzk pic.twitter.com/S2pds2VT3U

— Dubai Airports (@DubaiAirports) February 21, 2023

Meanwhile, December was the busiest month of the year with 7.1 million passengers. It was the first time since January 2020 that passenger numbers hitting the 7 million milestone.

“We knew it was the year when growth would return to the air travel sector in a big way, but the surge was much stronger than anticipated and we had to do our best to turn that challenge into an opportunity,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, the operator of DXB and Dubai World Central (DWC).

Key figures
India topped the list of destination countries for DXB by passenger volume, with a total traffic of 9.8 million, followed by Saudi Arabia with 4.9 million passengers, and the UK with 4.6 million passengers.

Other destination countries of note include Pakistan (3.7 million passengers) the US (3 million), and Russia (1.9 million), followed by Turkiye (1.6 million).

In terms of destination cities, London clinched the top spot, with 3 million passengers, followed by Riyadh (2 million), Mumbai (1.9 million) and Jeddah and New Delhi both with 1.7 million passengers each.

DXB is currently connected to 229 destinations across 99 countries through more than 88 international carriers.

In terms of total flight movements, a total of 96,701 were recorded at DXB during the fourth quarter, bringing the total annual flight movements to 343,339.

The average number of passengers per flight reached 204, rising 33 per cent year-on-year.

DXB handled 1,727,815 tonnes of cargo during 2022, dipping 25.5 per cent, on the back of moving of all major freight operators back to Dubai World Central (DWC) and the return of pax-freighter aircraft to passenger operations during the year. Cargo contracted during Q4 as well, registering 420,125 tonnes compared to 614,834 tonnes in Q4 of 2021.

DXB’s baggage handling system processed a total of 62.2 million bags in 2022 with a success rate of 99.8 per cent – a rate of 2.2 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers.

The average waiting time at passport control queues was less than 13 minutes for 95.48 per cent of the arriving passengers and 96.24 per cent of passengers queued for less than 5 minutes at departure passport control.

2023 in focus
Going forward, the world’s busiest international airport has upped its forecasts and expects to receive 78 millions passengers in 2023.

. @DXB expects to see 78 million passengers in 2023. #Dubai @DubaiAirports pic.twitter.com/yuUkbNqnru

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 21, 2023

“With DXB forecast to welcome 78 million passengers this year, and Dubai hosting major international events including the Dubai Airshow and COP28, it will be another year of new challenges and opportunities and we are ready for them,” Griffiths said.

“Our top priority in 2023 will be our customers, our people, and sustainability – three key areas that are crucial to our aspirations and goals as the world’s busiest global hub, a preferred employer, and as a key player and trend-setter in the world’s aviation industry.”