Dubai International Airport (DXB) served over 78 million international passengers in 2015, making it the world’s number one hub for international traffic. International passenger numbers at the airport have increased over the last few years, and enabled it to overtake London Heathrow.

Dubai’s status as one of the leading international hubs in the world has been boosted by the growth of 100 airlines that use the airport, who connect to over 240 destinations globally. Gulf carrier Emirates Airline has its hub at the airport, while Emirates Group low-cost carrier, flydubai is also based at the facility.

““It’s another banner year for Dubai International where we broke records, engaged and entertained our customers in new ways, and retained our position as the world’s number one international hub.”

Paul Griffiths
Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Airports

More than seven million passengers utilised the Dubai hub in December 2015, which was an 8.5 per cent increase on December 2014, and the second time that monthly traffic surpassed the seven million mark within the calendar year – the first month being August. The average monthly traffic for the year reached 6.5 million, a record high for the airport. December 2015 also saw monthly aircraft movements increase by 5.9 per cent compared to that of December 2014, totalling 35,575.

As Dubai continues to grow as a major international hub worldwide, the airport is bringing in new airlines and creating new routes all the time. In 2015, DXB welcomed Air Canada, China Southern and Cologne’s low-cost carrier Eurowings, as well as 12 new passenger destinations being added to the network.

The single largest destination country for Dubai International is India, with more than ten million passengers in 2015 – a year of year growth of 17 per cent. The UK was the second biggest destination, followed by Saudi Arabia, with more than five million passengers for each. The three main city destinations are Doha, London and Mumbai: with each destination experiencing growth within 2015.

In terms of percentage growth, the regional market is topped by North America which experienced a 25 per cent growth in 2015. It is followed by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) whose growth totalled 15 per cent, and Asia, up 12 per cent.

“It’s another banner year for Dubai International where we broke records, engaged and entertained our customers in new ways, and retained our position as the world’s number one international hub," said Paul Griffiths, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Airports. "But we have no time to rest on our laurels as we are already busy testing the readiness our newest facility, the USD 1.2 billion Concourse D, which when it opens for our 70 plus airlines this quarter, will play a crucial role in helping us welcome millions of passengers in comfort and style."

The top five busiest airports in the world, in terms of international passenger traffic are: Dubai International Airport, London Heathrow, Hong Kong International, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.