Dubai: Dubai International Airport experienced one of the busiest days of the year on Friday with 280,000 passengers passing through its three terminals ahead of the Eid Al Adha long weekend from Saturday through to Tuesday.
A spokesperson from Dubai Airports told Gulf News: “It’s certainly one of the busiest days of the year with an estimated 280,000 passengers, but it’s not the busiest. Our busiest day this year so far was actually January 5 when we had 299,000 passengers.”
Dubai Police, Emirates airlines and Dubai Airports had all sent reminders for travelers ahead of the Eid rush to get to the airport at least three hours ahead of their departure time, if not before, in order to allow for tailbacks leading to the terminal. This included advice to avail of online check-in and smart gate facilities.
Terminal three alone was expected to see an estimated 100,000 passengers pass through on Friday, according to an earlier statement from Emirates airlines.
Of the 280,000 passengers passing through Dubai Airport an estimated 76,000 were departing and 45,000 employees were said to be on hand at any time to ensure the smooth flow of services.
In Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways had also released a circular advising passengers to get to the airport early, but no comment on estimated passenger numbers was immediately forthcoming from Abu Dhabi Airports.
