According to Airport’s Council International (ACI), Dubai International Airport (DXB) has retained its position as the world’s busiest airport for international passengers for a ninth consecutive year. As a result of a solid recovery in international travel, passenger traffic in 2022 more than doubled to over 66 million. In the meantime, DXB has raised its passenger forecast for 2023 to 78 million passengers.
A pre-pandemic level of passenger traffic was reached by DXB in the final three months of 2022. In response to the upsurge in traffic in the final quarter of 2022, Dubai Airports’ CEO Paul Griffiths stated, “retaining the title of busiest airport only comes as no surprise given Dubai International’s stellar performance throughout 2022.”.
In 2022, air travel demand was expected to increase across the globe. However, what made Dubai International Airport stand out was the dedication of our people, and the meticulous planning and preparation by each of our service partners.
Griffiths added that DXB’s preparedness enabled it to handle the rapid increase in demand and to improve the overall airport experience for the 66 million passengers who passed through during 2022.
An ACI World report published on Wednesday showed that passenger traffic reached close to 7 billion, an increase of 53.5% over 2021 and a recovery of 73.8% over 2019.
It is noteworthy that the top ten airports for total passenger traffic, which account for 10 percent of global traffic, experienced a 51.7 percent increase from 2021, corresponding to an 85.9 percent improvement from their 2019 results. The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport maintained its lead in the rankings, followed by the Dallas Fort Worth Airport, Denver Airport, and Chicago O’Hare Airport.
A majority of the top ten airports are located in the United States, with a high share of domestic passengers. Among the top ten international airports are Dubai Airport, Istanbul Airport, London Heathrow Airport, Delhi Airport, and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
London Heathrow has significantly improved its ranking since reopening its borders in March 2022, moving from 54th to eighth place. Director General of ACI World Luis Felipe de Oliveira said that the rankings were an important milestone in achieving pre-pandemic levels, reflecting the resilience of the airport and aviation industries, and the eagerness of passengers to travel.
| International Passenger | |
| 2022 | Airport |
| 1 | Dubai (DXB) |
| 2 | London (LHR) |
| 3 | Amsterdam (AMS) |
| 4 | Paris (CDG) |
| 5 | Istanbul (IST) |
| 6 | Frankfurt (FRA) |
| 7 | Madrid (MAD) |
| 8 | Doha (DOH) |
| 9 | Singapore (SIN) |
| 10 | London (LGW) |
