Bigger jets will land at Dubai airport this winter season amid travel boom

Dubai: European airlines are upsizing for Dubai’s winter rush. Carriers from Europe are quietly turning Dubai into a big-jet battleground this winter, rolling out larger aircraft and extra capacity as demand for the city surges.

According to a state news agency WAM report, Virgin Atlantic has switched to the Airbus A350-1000 on its Dubai route, increasing seat capacity by 52 per cent. At the same time, British Airways has resumed its A380 flights from London Heathrow to DXB.

German carrier Eurowings, for example, now operates a daily Stuttgart service to DXB and three weekly Düsseldorf flights to DWC, alongside increased frequencies to Berlin, Cologne, and Hannover.

Similarly, Air France has announced a significant increase in its flight frequency between Dubai and Paris Charles de Gaulle, offering up to 18 weekly flights starting from November 25, through March 2026.

Laila El Mansouri, Country Manager for the UAE at Air France-KLM, said, “With the addition of new flights, we are proud to strengthen connectivity between Dubai and Paris, providing our customers with more travel options, delivering the best of French hospitality and the signature Air France service.”

Together, the moves signal strong confidence in Dubai’s pull as a winter sun, business and events hub.​

Dubai International is already on track to handle about 96 million passengers this year, edging close to its pre-pandemic record.

The CEO of the world's busiest hub, Paul Griffiths, has described connectivity as “the cornerstone of relevance in global aviation”, arguing that Dubai’s network strength only matters if it is delivered “with precision, efficiency and a seamless guest experience."

Behind the bigger jets is a broad-based surge in regional demand. Europe and Central Asia are seeing a sizeable uplift this winter, with Kazakhstan’s FlyArystan joining the DXB network from Aktau and Austrian Airlines resuming Vienna services.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia has emerged as DXB’s second-largest market, accounting for 7.8 per cent of passengers, with combined traffic from the Kingdom across DXB and DWC reaching 6.3 million and rising.​

Seasonal traffic from South Asia and the broader Middle East is also strengthening Dubai’s point-to-point profile, with new links from cities such as Sari in Iran and Lahore in Pakistan.

Robert Whitehouse, Vice President of Research at Dubai Airports, said the growth in direct traffic across both DXB and DWC reflects “a balanced mix of inbound visitors, outbound travel from residents and the many people choosing to make Dubai their home”, making the network more diverse and resilient.​

The shift to larger aircraft is not limited to DXB. Dubai World Central is taking on a more visible role as airlines use its available slots to complement DXB operations, helping manage peak-season pressure.

DWC welcomed 1.1 million guests in the first 10 months of the year, up 36.6 per cent, supported by demand from CIS, GCC and Western European markets.

For Griffiths, this dual-airport strategy is central to Dubai’s long-term growth story, with both hubs working in tandem to absorb rising demand and support the city’s ambitions as a global aviation and tourism powerhouse.