Dubai International Airport (DXB) welcomed 95.2 million guests in 2025, an increase of 3.1 per cent year on year, marking the busiest year in the airport’s history and the highest annual international passenger traffic recorded by any airport.
Dubai Airports said 2025 was defined by sustained performance across the year. The airport recorded its busiest day, month, quarter and year while operating close to capacity.
December was the busiest month in the airport’s history, with 8.7 million guests, up 6.1 per cent compared with December 2024. The fourth quarter was also the busiest on record, with 25.1 million guests, an increase of 5.9 per cent year on year.
“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,” Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said in a statement.
Flight movements and load factors remain stable at Dubai International Airport (DXB)
Total flight movements reached 118,000 in the fourth quarter, up 5 per cent. Annual flight movements totalled 454,800, an increase of 3.3 per cent compared with 2024.
Average passengers per movement stood at 214. The annual load factor was 77.6 per cent, a change of 0.5 percentage points.
Dubai Airports said the airport managed 86.75 million bags in 2025, up 4.95 per cent year on year. It said 89 per cent of arriving baggage was delivered to guests terminating at the airport within 45 minutes of the aircraft arriving on stand.
The airport recorded 2.47 mishandled bags per 1,000 guests, equating to a baggage handling rate of 99.75 per cent.
Guest processing times remained below 10 minutes at departure passport control for 99.35 per cent of travellers. At arrival passport control, 98.8 per cent of guests waited under 15 minutes. Security check waiting times were below five minutes for 98.9 per cent of guests.
Dubai Airports attributed performance to coordination across its oneDXB community, comprising airlines, service partners and government stakeholders.
India leads top country markets for DXB
India remained the largest country market with 11.9 million guests. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia followed with 7.5 million, the United Kingdom with 6.3 million, Pakistan with 4.3 million and the United States with 3.3 million.
Traffic from China increased 16.6 per cent to 2.5 million. Russia rose 6 per cent to 2.8 million. Turkey increased 6.7 per cent to 2.2 million. Egypt grew 14.3 per cent to 1.8 million. Italy recorded growth of 12.5 per cent to 1.6 million.
London was the busiest city destination with 3.9 million guests, followed by Riyadh at 3 million, Mumbai and Jeddah at 2.4 million each and New Delhi at 2.2 million.
By the end of 2025, the airport was connected to 291 destinations in 110 countries and served by 108 international airlines.
Dubai Airports said demand continued to increase while capacity was managed. It said the role of Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International would continue to expand as traffic patterns change.
