Watch: Dubai Airports fast-tracks 100 million passenger milestone to 2026

Dubai: Dubai International Airport (DXB) is set to achieve a record-breaking milestone of 100 million passengers sooner than anticipated, with revised projections now targeting 2026 instead of 2027. According to Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths, the accelerated growth follows at least three upward forecast revisions in 2024, fuelled by strong passenger traffic.

“We revised our forecast at least thrice in an upward direction last year. I think that’s giving us the confidence to suggest that we might end up reaching 100 million earlier,” Griffiths told Gulf News. “The forecast for 2025 is around 94 million plus, and 2026, at the moment, we’re saying 98, but I wouldn’t mind betting our 100 million forecast for 2027 may be brought forward into 2026,” Griffiths stated.

Griffiths’ comments follow Dubai Airports' announcement of its 2024 passenger traffic figures, revealing that the world's busiest hub for international travel handled a record 92.3 million passengers, marking a nearly 6 per cent year-on-year increase.

Griffiths said concerns remain over the surrounding infrastructure’s ability to support this rapid growth despite the robust outlook. “One of our biggest concerns is whether the road and rail system around us can cope with this level of traffic,” he said.

Over the past decade, Dubai International Airport (DXB) has handled more than 700 million passengers on over 3.3 million flights, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said in a post on Thursday. “Dubai is the airport of the world... and a new world in the aviation sector,” said Sheikh Mohammed.

To meet the rapidly growing demand, the government of Dubai greenlit a $35 billion plan to expand Dubai’s second airport – Al Maktoum International Airport or Dubai World Central (DEC) – to accommodate 260 million upon completion. DWC will have five runways and a capacity for 150 million passengers annually within the next decade.

While DXB has been undergoing multiple refurbishment projects, Griffiths did say that there will come a point where ‘providing further capacity at DXB will be extremely challenging.’  

He said the aim is to have the airport “pretty close” to finishing by 2032 and have a capacity of 150 million on opening day.

Until then, Dubai Airports – the operator of the two hubs - plans to use facilities at the existing terminal at DWC to accommodate airlines, especially budget carriers, said Griffiths.

“That is why the DWC phase two international project is such an important part of our expansion strategy, so we've got to keep DXB as the world's premier, number one International Airport whilst we build Al Maktoum International,” he stated.

DWC currently handles about a million passengers annually but has significant potential for expansion. Over the next few years, Griffiths said Dubai Airports anticipates a gradual migration of airlines from DXB to DWC.

“That will allow us to fill some of those slots with the further expansion on Emirates (Dubai’s flagship carrier) here at DXB,” he said.

The move to DWC is also ultimately up to the airline. If slots at DXB become unavailable at carriers’ preferred times, they may consider moving to DWC for better scheduling options.

Griffiths said DXB hasn’t yet reached a tipping point where capacity constraints force airlines to relocate. Globally, airlines prefer competing within the same airport environment.

“For now, many will continue operating at DXB if they can get slots at less-than-ideal times. However, as capacity tightens, flydubai’s shift to DWC may set a precedent for others,” he said.

He also said that low-cost carriers looking to enter the Dubai market will find opportunities at DWC, which offers lower operating costs and fewer capacity constraints.