AIRPORTSDUBAI, UAE: Dubai International (DXB) continuesto be the world’s busiest airport by internationalpassenger numbers for the eighth consecutiveyear after clocking 29.1 million in annual traffic in2021, half a million more than its forecast.Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, described aneventful year which, despite the uncertainties ofthe global pandemic, contained many milestonesthat demonstrate several bold steps taken byDubai and its aviation sector to lead the recovery ofglobal air travel, including the successful hosting ofthe Dubai Airshow 2021, the world’s first majorairshow since the start of the pandemic, the returnof DXB to 100% operational capacity with thereopening of Terminal 1-Concourse D andConcourse A, and the opening of the world’slargest in-house airport laboratory for fast-trackprocessing Covid-19 PCR test samples for Dubai’svisitors.The airport also welcomed a record number of newairlines connecting Dubai to new destinations andjoined the rest of the city in creating a warmwelcome for millions of visitors to Expo 2020Dubai.Describing DXB’s performancein 2021 as nothing short ofimpressive, Griffiths said,"Despite unprecedentedturmoil affecting millions ofpeople all over the world, weovercame many seriousobstacles to the operation ofthe world’s largestinternational hub andprovided smooth, comfortableand safe travel for millions ofpeople travelling throughDXB. This incredibleperformance by all of our staffand stakeholders wasachieved in the face ofabruptly changing travelregulations and concernsabout new waves of infection.Despite these seriouschallenges to our ongoingsuccess, we managed toexceed our own forecasts andcontinue to retain our crownas the world’s busiestinternational airport.“With the eagerly anticipated reopening of keymarkets such as Australasia and the further easingof travel regulations around the world, the outlookfor 2022 is very promising and we are in anDXB keeps title as world’s busiestinternational airpo with 29.1 millionpassengers in 2021Cargo continued its strong performance throughoutthe year finishing with 614,834 tons of cargo in thefourth quarter (7.5%) taking the annual freightvolume in 2021 up by 20% to 2,319,185 tons.excellent position to continue to lead the world’s air travel sector on theroad to recovery."Current forecasts indicate that traffic through DXB could reach 55.1m by theend of 2022, but Griffiths acknowledges that if current trends continue, thatfigure could be exceeded by a significant margin.DXB welcomed 29,110,609 passengers for the full year of 2021, a year-onyear-growth of 12.7%. The numbers were propelled by a robust growth inthe final three months of the year during which DXB recorded 11,794,046passengers, 77% more than in the previous quarter. It was the busiestquarter since Q1 2020, and the first time since the start of the pandemic thatDXB’s quarterly traffic surpassed the 10 million mark. December was thebusiest month of the year with 4.5 million passengers.India retained its position as the top destination country for DXB bypassenger volume, with passenger traffic for 2021 totalling 4.2m, followedby Pakistan with 1.8m, Saudi Arabia with 1.5m, and the United Kingdom with1.2m passengers. Other destination countries of note include the US (1.1mpassengers), Egypt (1m) and the Turkey (945,000 passengers).DXB’s top destination cities during 2021 were Istanbul with 916,000passengers, Cairo (905,000), London (814,000) and New Delhi (791,000passengers). DXB is currently connected to 198 destinations across 93countries through 84 international carriers – significantly more than in 2019before the pandemic.The number of flight movements at DXB reached 77,671 during the fourthquarter bringing the annual flight movements to 233,375, a year-on-yeargrowth of 28.1%. The average number of passengers per flight reached 154,down 18.9% year-on-year.Cargo continued its strong performance throughout the year finishing with614,834 tons of cargo in the fourth quarter (7.5%) taking the annual freightvolume in 2021 up by 20% to 2,319,185 tons. WAMAirCargoUpdate42
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