How close is Dubai Airport to joining the 100 million club?

Dubai: Dubai International Airport (DXB) is rapidly closing in on the elite '100 million club,’ with recent forecasts predicting it will reach this coveted annual passenger milestone by the end of 2026 – a year ahead of earlier predictions.

The world’s busiest international hub, DXB, handled a remarkable 92.3 million passengers in 2024. This achievement solidifies its consistent top rankings in OAG’s Busiest Airports reports, placing it first for international airport rankings (by seats) and second globally overall.”

According to OAG, a UK-based aviation analyst firm, the next decade promises some significant and exciting developments in airport infrastructure.

OAG’s recurring blog series - 100 Million Club: The Rise of Mega Airports – has been keeping track of some plans that are underway at various locations around the world to expand passenger facilities, enabling some of the world’s largest airports to handle over 100 million passengers annually.

According to OAG, there is only one airport in the world that belongs to the exclusive 100 million passengers club, and that is Atlanta (ATL) in the United States, handling just over 108 million passengers in 2024.
“Others are getting closer, though, with Dubai - the 2nd Busiest Global Airport and Busiest International Airport of 2024 - handling 92.3 million passengers in 2024,” wrote Deirdre Fulton, aviation analyst and author of the OAG blog.

“This represents a 6.1 per cent increase compared to the previous year, which is almost double the growth experienced by ATL (3.3 per cent YoY). This indicates that if Dubai continues on this trajectory, it will soon catch up with Atlanta by the end of the decade,” said OAG.

A big part of DXB’s future growth hinges on the expansion of Dubai World Central (DWC) – Dubai’s current secondary airport. “In anticipation of continued growth and capitalising on its position as an ideal location for both passengers who want to travel through Dubai en route from east to west or vice versa, and those passengers who wish to visit Dubai as a destination, Dubai has embarked on a significant investment in the expansion of DWC,” she explained.

The vision is that at some point, likely ten years from now, DWC will become Dubai’s primary airport, with traffic switching from DXB.  The upgraded and expanded DWC will ultimately provide capacity for up to 260 million passengers, featuring five runways, although its development will be modular, adapting to growth as needed.

The region already boasts one of the world’s largest airports, located in Istanbul (IST). The new airport opened in 2018 with a passenger capacity of 90 million in the first phase, and by the end of this year, it is expected to reach 120 million. By 2028, a total capacity of 200 million passengers is planned. Passenger volumes at IST reached 80 million in 2024, representing a 5.2 per cent increase from the previous year.

“Consequently, it will not require all of its new capacity just yet, although it has ambitious targets to reach 100 million passengers by 2027. However, with an ambitious growth plan and a base carrier offering more destinations than other Middle Eastern hubs, the airport is well placed to reach 100 million passengers in the short to medium term,” said Deirdre.