Dubai airport chief says passengers top pre-pandemic level

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai International Airport passenger numbers surpassed pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels in the third quarter of 2022, the airport’s chief executive said, causing the airport to revise its annual forecast by another 1 million passengers.

Paul Griffiths, who oversees the world’s busiest airport, told The Associated Press the annual forecast at Dubai International, or DXB, is more than 64 million. The airport saw 18.5 million passengers in the third quarter of this year, up from 17.8 million during the first quarter of 2020 — prior to and at the dawn of the pandemic. Most of the growth, he said, comes from the traditional markets of India, UK, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Griffiths added that the end of COVID-19 testing requirements and people’s eagerness to travel have contributed to the increase.

“Recovery is very much on the agenda and has been a phenomenon here ever since the end of the pandemic,” Griffiths said.

The new numbers are welcome news for the tourism-driven economy of Dubai, which accounts for about 12% of the tiny nation's GDP. A year ago in the third quarter, 6.7 million came through the airport.