UAE airports handle over 1 billion passengers in past decade

Dubai: The UAE’s aviation sector has marked a milestone, with passenger traffic through the country’s airports surpassing one billion between 2015 and 2024, according to the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre.

The report also showed that total aircraft movements exceeded 6.4 million over the same period, reflecting a decade of sustained growth in one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs.

Passenger numbers climbed steadily from 114.8 million in 2015 to 147.8 million in 2024, covering arrivals, departures, and transit travellers. Aircraft movements reached over 800,000 in 2024 alone.

The Centre highlighted the UAE’s global leadership in air transport quality, ranking first worldwide on the air transport quality index and placing among the top ten in five other key indicators.

Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), credited the sector’s growth to national strategies and initiatives designed under the leadership’s guidance.

“These achievements reinforce the UAE’s standing on the global aviation and travel map and highlight the sector’s contribution to national economic growth and competitiveness,” Al Marri said.

He added that the UAE continues to pioneer a more efficient and sustainable aviation system by integrating technological innovations while maintaining high standards of safety and service quality.

The decade-long growth underlines the UAE’s strategy to position itself as a leading regional and global aviation hub, supporting tourism, trade, and broader economic diversification goals.