UAE airports handle 156.8 million passengers in 2025, up 6.1%

Abu Dhabi: The UAE strengthened its position as one of the world's leading aviation hubs in 2025 after passenger traffic through the country's airports reached a record 156.8 million, up 6.1 per cent from 147.8 million in 2024, while aircraft movements rose 6.8 per cent to 855,300. 

The figures, released by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC), highlight the success of the UAE's long-term strategy to develop its aviation industry through sustained investment in airports, infrastructure and logistics services, reinforcing the country's position as a global air transport hub linking East and West and supporting economic growth and sustainable development.

Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the General Civil Aviation Authority, said the strong performance reflected the leadership's forward-looking vision to build an advanced and sustainable national aviation ecosystem supported by world-class airports and regulatory and operational frameworks aligned with international best practice.

He said the results underscored the aviation sector's growing contribution to the competitiveness of the national economy and further strengthened the UAE's position as one of the world's most important air transport centres connecting East and West, as well as North and South.

Bin Touq said national efforts would continue, in cooperation with local and international partners, to develop one of the world's best logistics infrastructures, including airports, airlines and air navigation routes, while investing in national talent, enhancing the passenger experience, building effective international partnerships and delivering high-quality transport, travel and logistics services in line with the objectives of the 'We the UAE 2031' vision.

Hanan Mansour Ahli, Managing Director of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, said the aviation data reflected the efficiency of the national ecosystem driving the sector's growth and demonstrated the UAE's ability to use data as a tool to support policymaking, decision-making and sustainable economic growth.

She said the centre continued to develop the national statistical system and provide high-quality official data in line with international best practices to support national performance measurement, strengthen the UAE's position in global competitiveness rankings and provide a comprehensive knowledge base for future planning.

According to the centre, total passenger traffic, including arrivals, departures and transit passengers, reached 156.8 million in 2025, an increase of 9 million passengers from 147.8 million in 2024.

Arrivals increased 6.1 per cent to 44.2 million, up from 41.6 million a year earlier. Departures rose 3 per cent to 43 million, compared with 41.7 million in 2024, while transit passengers grew 8 per cent to 69.5 million, up from 64.3 million.

By emirate, Dubai's airports handled 104.5 million passengers in 2025, compared with 100.9 million the previous year, representing growth of 3.5 per cent. The total comprised 30.2 million arrivals, 29.5 million departures and 44.7 million transit passengers.

Abu Dhabi's airports recorded 34.2 million passengers, up 10.7 per cent from 30.8 million in 2024, including 8.3 million arrivals, 7.9 million departures and 17.9 million transit passengers.

Sharjah International Airport handled 16.9 million passengers, compared with 15.2 million in 2024, also recording 10.7 per cent growth. Passenger traffic included 5 million arrivals, 5 million departures and 6.8 million transit passengers.

Ras Al Khaimah International Airport recorded the fastest growth among the country's larger airports, with passenger numbers exceeding one million for the first time, rising 56.8 per cent from 639,300 in 2024. The total included 513,900 arrivals, 451,400 departures and 37,500 transit passengers.

Fujairah International Airport also posted significant growth, with passenger traffic surging 170 per cent to 164,600, compared with 61,100 the previous year. The airport handled 90,200 arrivals, 70,600 departures and 3,700 transit passengers.

The growth extended beyond passenger numbers to aircraft movements, which climbed to 855,300 arrivals, departures and domestic connecting flights, compared with 801,000 in 2024, an increase of 6.8 per cent, highlighting the capacity of the UAE's airports and their role as a major international gateway.

Incoming aircraft movements rose 7.3 per cent to 414,300, up from 385,900, while departing flights also increased 7.3 per cent to 414,100, compared with 385,800 a year earlier.

The results also reflect the UAE's strong performance in global aviation competitiveness rankings. The country ranked first worldwide for air transport quality in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook.

It also ranked third globally for the efficiency of air transport services and for available airline seats per kilometre per million people, indicators measuring service quality, flight frequency, operational efficiency and international connectivity.

In addition, the UAE ranked eighth globally for the number of operating airlines and 10th for the number of air services agreements in the World Economic Forum's 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Report, reflecting the breadth of its international aviation network.

The country also ranked sixth globally in the Air Connectivity Index in the 2023 Future Readiness Economic Indexpublished by the Institut Descartes for the Future, measuring the strength of its integration into the global aviation network.