Dubai airport beats its annual forecast with 66.1m passengers in 2022

Dubai International Airport (DXB) more than doubled its annual passenger traffic last year, exceeding its own forecast and retaining the title of the world's busiest international hub for the ninth consecutive year. The airport handled 66.1m passengers in 2022, growing 127% year-on-year and exceeding its forecast of 64.3m, on the back of a strong Q4, operator Dubai Airports said on Tuesday. “We knew it was the year when growth would return to the air travel sector in a big way but the surge was much stronger than anticipated and we had to do our best to turn that challenge into an opportunity," said Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports. "We were ready to meet the challenge of rapid recovery in customer numbers while delivering significant improvement in our service quality across the board.” Passenger traffic in the last three months of 2022 jumped 67% year-on-year to 19.7m, marking the airport's busiest quarter since 2019, according to the state-owned operator. December was the busiest month of the year with 7.1m passengers, the first time since January 2020 that Dubai International Airport's monthly traffic hit the 7m mark. Dubai Airports is projecting the number of passengers who will pass through the international hub by the end of this year to reach 78m, as the UAE prepares to host major international events such as the Dubai Airshow and Cop28, Griffiths said. “Given its dynamism and global impact, there is never a dull year for the aviation sector and 2023 will be no exception ... it will be another year of new challenges and opportunities and we are ready for them," he said.<br/>