Dubai International Airport (DXB) – February 11, 2026 – Dubai Airports announced today that Dubai International Airport (DXB) welcomed 95.2 million passengers in 2025, an increase of 3.1% compared to the previous year, marking the busiest year in the airport’s history and the highest annual volume of international passengers ever recorded by an airport.
Even more significantly, 2025 was not marked by a isolated peak, but by sustained performance at record levels. DXB recorded the busiest day, month, quarter, and year in its history, operating at the limit of its physical capacity while consistently maintaining operational excellence. What would elsewhere be exceptional pressure now forms part of DXB’s normal operating rhythm.
December closed as the busiest month in DXB’s history, with 8.7 million passengers, up 6.1% year-on-year. The fourth quarter also saw the highest traffic ever recorded, with 25.1 million passengers, an increase of 5.9% compared to the same period in 2024.
The total number of aircraft movements reached 118,000 in the fourth quarter, up 5%, bringing the annual total to 454,800, a 3.3% increase year-on-year. Despite the continued growth in movements, the average number of passengers per movement remained strong at 214, reflecting the sustained deployment of larger aircraft and high load factors. The annual load factor was 77.6%, a marginal adjustment of 0.5 percentage points.
Large-scale consistency
Instead of a series of isolated increases, 2025 demonstrated DXB’s ability to operate continuously and deliver a superior passenger experience at record levels through rigorous planning and close coordination within the oneDXB community, which includes airlines, service partners, and government stakeholders.
DXB efficiently handled 86.75 million pieces of baggage in 2025, a 4.95% increase year-on-year, representing the highest annual baggage volume ever recorded in a civil year. Demonstrating the airport’s commitment to operational excellence, 89% of all arrival baggage was delivered to passengers whose journey ended at DXB within 45 minutes of the aircraft arriving at the parking stand. DXB maintained world-class baggage mishandling performance, reaching 99.75%, or 2.47 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers. Passenger processing times remained consistently high, with 99.35% of passengers experiencing less than a 10-minute wait at departure passport control and 98.8% waiting less than 15 minutes at arrival passport control. Wait times at security checks remained below 5 minutes for 98.9% of passengers.
Broad and balanced global connectivity
India retained its position as DXB’s top national market with 11.9 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia with 7.5 million, the UK with 6.3 million, Pakistan with 4.3 million, and the US with 3.3 million.
Several markets saw particularly strong growth during the year. Traffic from China increased by 16.6% to reach 2.5 million, Russia grew by 6% to 2.8 million, Turkey increased by 6.7% to 2.2 million, Egypt grew by 14.3% to 1.8 million, and Italy climbed by 12.5% to 1.6 million.
London remained the most frequented urban destination from DXB with 3.9 million passengers, followed by Riyadh with 3 million, Mumbai and Jeddah with 2.4 million each, and New Delhi with 2.2 million.
By the end of 2025, DXB was connected to 291 destinations in 110 countries, served by 108 international airlines, solidifying its position as one of the world’s most connected hubs.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said: “Airports are often defined by moments of intensity, but long-term performance is measured by the ability to sustain these moments over time. In 2025, DXB demonstrated that record traffic is no longer an exception, but now part of its operational reality. This large-scale consistency reflects the maturity of the system and the strength of collaboration within our oneDXB airport community to deliver excellence in response to growing demand.
We forecast traffic will reach around 99.5 million in 2026, supported by close coordination within the industry and the oneDXB community.”
Outlook
As demand continues to grow and capacities are managed carefully, Dubai’s airports are entering a phase where performance is no longer defined by the size of traffic peaks, but by the ability to sustain growth while continuously offering superior passenger experience. As traffic patterns evolve, the complementary role of Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC) will continue to expand (up to 260 million passengers), ensuring the Emirate remains primed for the next era of global aviation.
Source: Dubai Airports
