Dubai International (DXB) has set a new global benchmark, welcoming 95.2 million guests in 2025 — the highest annual international passenger traffic ever recorded by any airport worldwide. The milestone not only underscores Dubai’s status as a leading global aviation hub, but also highlights the growing influence of Asia-Pacific markets in shaping global air travel flows.
APAC Markets Drive Growth Momentum
Asia-Pacific continued to anchor DXB’s record performance, with South Asia and Greater China playing a pivotal role in sustaining traffic growth.
India retained its position as DXB’s largest country market, contributing 11.9 million guests in 2025. Key Indian city routes ranked among the busiest globally, with Mumbai accounting for 2.4 million guests and New Delhi close behind at 2.2 million.
Pakistan followed as the second-largest country market with 4.3 million guests, reinforcing Dubai’s importance as both a destination and a transit gateway for South Asian travellers.
China emerged as one of the fastest-growing major markets, recording a 16.6% year-on-year increase to reach 2.5 million guests. The rebound reflects renewed outbound travel demand and strengthened connectivity between China and the Middle East, Europe and Africa via Dubai.
Collectively, these figures illustrate the structural importance of Asia-Pacific markets to DXB’s traffic base, consolidating Dubai’s role as a strategic intercontinental hub linking East and West.
Record Traffic Becomes the New Normal
Unlike previous years marked by seasonal surges, DXB’s 2025 performance was characterised by sustained high throughput across all operational metrics. The airport achieved its busiest day, month, quarter and full year on record, operating close to capacity for extended periods.
December 2025 became the busiest month in DXB’s history, handling 8.7 million guests — a 6.1% increase year-on-year. The fourth quarter reached 25.1 million guests, up 5.9% compared to Q4 2024.
Total flight movements for the year stood at 454,800, a 3.3% increase, with 118,000 movements recorded in Q4 alone, up 5%. Despite the growth in aircraft movements, average passengers per flight remained robust at 214, indicating continued deployment of larger aircraft and strong load efficiency. The annual load factor held steady at 77.6%, a marginal adjustment of 0.5 percentage points.
Operational Excellence at Scale
Handling nearly 100 million guests required coordinated performance across the oneDXB ecosystem — comprising airlines, service partners and government stakeholders.
In 2025, DXB processed 86.75 million bags, up 4.95% year-on-year. Operational efficiency remained high:
- 89% of arriving baggage was delivered within 45 minutes
- Mishandled baggage rate stood at 2.47 per 1,000 guests (99.75% performance rate)
- 99.35% of departing guests cleared passport control within 10 minutes
- 98.8% of arriving guests completed passport procedures within 15 minutes
- 98.9% of passengers passed through security in under five minutes
The figures reflect the maturity of DXB’s operational systems and its capacity to maintain service standards even at record volumes.
Global Reach and Strategic Positioning
By the end of 2025, DXB was connected to 291 destinations across 110 countries, served by 108 international airlines — reinforcing its position as the world’s leading international hub.
London remained the busiest city destination with 3.9 million guests, followed by Riyadh at 3 million. Mumbai and Jeddah each handled 2.4 million guests, while New Delhi recorded 2.2 million.
Commenting on the performance, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said:
“Airports are often defined by moments of intensity, but long-term performance is defined by how well those moments are sustained. In 2025, DXB showed that record traffic is no longer an exception, but part of its operating reality. That consistency at scale reflects the maturity of the system and the strength of collaboration across our oneDXB airport community to deliver excellence under growing demand. We expect traffic to approach 99.5 million in 2026, supported by close coordination across the sector and the oneDXB community.”
2026 Outlook: Approaching the 100-Million Mark
With passenger volumes forecast to reach 99.5 million in 2026, DXB’s record-breaking 2025 performance establishes a new operational baseline rather than a peak.
As demand continues to build and capacity remains carefully managed, the complementary expansion of Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC) is expected to play a growing role in accommodating future traffic growth.
For Asia-Pacific markets in particular, DXB’s record year reinforces Dubai’s strategic importance as a transfer gateway — connecting India, China and broader APAC economies with Europe, Africa and the Americas. In an era of shifting aviation dynamics, Dubai’s sustained performance signals not only resilience, but an evolving global connectivity model anchored by scale, efficiency and geographic advantage.
