Dubai: Dubai International is on track to surpass London Heathrow to become the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic by the end of the decade.
Dubai International, currently the second busiest airport for international passenger traffic, recorded double digit passenger traffic growth in 2013 with 66.4 million passengers travelling through the airport.
London Heathrow, which recently released its end of year passenger figures, had 72.3 million passengers arrive, depart, and transit through the airport last year.
But Heathrow, which is home to British Airways, only recorded a 3.4 per cent year on year increase in passenger numbers. Dubai International had a 15.2 per cent increase and the passenger numbers beat the airport’s management’s forecast by 1 million passengers.
Heathrow is also grappling with its own capacity issues. It has long been debated by British politicians and aviation industry leaders on whether a new runway should be built at the airport to increase the amount of planes able to fly in and out of the airport.
The next expansion, Concourse D, will come online next year and be home to more than 100 airlines, a Dubai Airports spokesperson told Gulf News.
