Dubai International Airport (DXB) has maintained its status as the world's busiest international airport for the 12th consecutive year.

In 2025, the airport served:

• 95.2 million passengers
• over 260 destinations
• flights to six continents

DXB maintains global leadership

Despite the challenging airspace situation in the region at the beginning of 2026, the airport continued to operate without interruption.

From late February to April, DXB handled:

• 6 million passengers
• over 32,000 flights
• 213,000 tons of cargo

Following the restoration of UAE airspace, the airport is gradually increasing flight volumes and returning to normal capacity.

How the first quarter of 2026 went

In the first quarter, DXB served:

• 18.6 million passengers

This is lower than last year's figures due to airspace restrictions that intensified in March.

In March, passenger traffic amounted to:

• 2.5 million people

DXB's largest destinations

The largest markets for the airport were:

• India — 2.5 million passengers
• Saudi Arabia — 1.3 million
• United Kingdom — 1.2 million
• Pakistan — 918,000

Busiest cities:

London

• 752,000 passengers

Mumbai

• 520,000

Jeddah

• 505,000

Cargo operations and flights

In the first quarter, DXB handled:

• 399,600 tons of cargo

The number of flights was:

• 88,000

Baggage handling

The airport handled:

• 17.6 million pieces of luggage

Meanwhile, the rate of lost or mishandled baggage was:

• 3.5 per 1,000 passengers

For comparison, the global average is currently around 6.3 per 1,000 passengers.

What's Next

Dubai Airports anticipates further recovery in passenger traffic and an increase in flights as the regional situation stabilizes.

In parallel, development of a new mega-project continues:

Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC)

In the future, it is set to become Dubai's largest aviation hub and handle the majority of passenger traffic growth.

Why DXB Remains a Key Global Hub

The airport's success is attributed to several factors:

• Dubai's geographical location
• high transit activity
• developed infrastructure
• strong international airlines
• global route network

DXB continues to play a central role in international air travel and remains one of the world's main transport hubs.