Dubai airport handles 22.5 million passengers in Q2 despite airspace disruptions
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Dubai International Airporthas reported a record-breaking 46 million guests in the first half of 2025, marking its busiest first half to date. The 2.3 per cent year-on-year increase comes despite regional airspace disruptions in May and June, underscoring the resilience of Dubai's aviation sector The second quarter alone saw 22.5 million passengers — a 3.1 per cent rise over Q2 2024 — with April marking the airport's busiest on record for that month. January also set a new monthly record, with 8.5 million passengers.Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said: 'DXB's continued growth through a period of regional challenges highlights the strength of Dubai and the UAE, the agility of our operations, and the commitment of our airport community. The oneDXB mindset once again enabled us to manage disruption while elevating the guest experience and ensuring seamless global connectivity.'Passenger throughput averaged 7.7 million per month in H1, with daily volumes reaching 254,000. Over the six months, DXB handled 222,000 flights and processed 41.8 million bags — 91 per cent of which were delivered within 45 minutes. Baggage mishandling remained well below the global average at two bags per 1,000 passengers.Efficient processing also continued across key guest touchpoints:- 99.2 per cent of passengers cleared departure passport control in under 10 minutes- 98.4 per cent cleared arrivals in under 15 minutes- 98.7 per cent passed security in under 5 minutesIndia remained DXB's top source market with 5.9 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia (3.6 million), the UK (3.0 million), Pakistan (2.1 million), and the US (1.6 million). London was the busiest city destination at 1.8 million guests, followed by Riyadh, Mumbai, Jeddah, New Delhi, and Istanbul.Cargo volumes saw marginal growth, with DXB handling just over 1 million tonnes in H1. The airport is currently connected to 269 destinations in 107 countries through 92 international carriers.Looking ahead, DXB expects travel activity to accelerate during the late summer and winter peak. Traffic is projected to hit 96 million passengers in 2025, with the Dubai Airshow set to be a highlight of the second half.
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