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Dubai International expects about 70 million passengers in 2026 as traffic recovers

1 min read

A bright, spacious airport terminal hall with high ceilings and distant, blurred travellers Tourism
A bright, spacious airport terminal hall with high ceilings and distant, blurred travellers

DXB handled 31.5 million passengers in the first half and 6.3 million in July; Dubai Airports expects 100 million a year by the end of 2027.

Dubai Airports expects Dubai International (DXB) to handle around 70 million passengers in 2026, Economy Middle East reported on 19 October. The airport welcomed 95.2 million guests in 2025.

Traffic fell sharply after the start of the regional conflict. DXB handled 31.5 million passengers in the first half of 2026, with monthly numbers of 3.5 million in April, 4.5 million in May and 5 million in June. In July the figure rose to 6.3 million.

Paul Griffiths, Chief Executive of Dubai Airports, described the recovery as a "trampoline bounce" and said momentum could take traffic higher than before. Airline capacity had climbed to 84% of previous levels and passenger volumes to 78%, he said, with most carriers that had not yet returned expected back by the start of the winter season. He expects DXB to reach 100 million annual passengers by the end of 2027.

DXB, which opened in 1960, has handled 1.5 billion passengers in total and connects more than 260 destinations across six continents.

Hotels, retailers and tourism businesses in Dubai depend heavily on these flows. The recovery path set out by Dubai Airports gives them a basis for planning staffing and capacity into 2027.

Sources