Emirates airports exceed the barrier of one billion travelers within 10 years

Statistics of the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics revealed the registration of the air transport sector in the UAE, qualitative leaps and exceptional growth, with the total traffic of passengers through state airports during the period between 2015 and 2024 the barrier of one billion passengers, and the high total movement of the aircraft and leaving to more than 6.4 million movements.

The report of the report issued by the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics showed the state’s solutions in the first place globally in the air transportation index, and within the first ten ranks globally in five indicators, which embodies the advisory vision of wise leadership and its directions, by enhancing the growth of this vital sector and supporting its competitiveness at the regional and global level, as it is an essential pillar to support the growth and sustainability of the national economy.

His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq Al -Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, said that the exceptional results achieved by the civil aviation sector in the UAE over the past ten years, confirm the success of the policies, strategies and national initiatives adopted by the state in light of the good directives of our rational leadership, which is not satisfied with the supervision of future prospects, but also draws its features and makes its achievements.

He pointed out that these results contribute to consolidating the state’s position on the map of aviation and international travel, and reflects the effective contribution to this vital sector in supporting the growth of the national economy and enhancing its competitiveness, as well as the UAE’s leadership in providing a unique model that is followed globally in building a more efficient and sustainable flight system, in which technological innovations integrate with the highest safety standards and quality of services.

His Excellency added that the national efforts are continuing to develop infrastructure and innovative projects in the aviation sector and all activities and areas related to it, and to continue work and cooperation with partners, bodies and bodies concerned at the local and international levels, to provide distinguished travel experiences that enhance the state’s attractiveness to travelers and air freight from all over the world, diversify services and weather products, build national human capabilities, and encourage the entry of cadres Emirati to the sector and increasing its investments, in line with the tenth principle of the Economic Principles of the UAE, which aims to make the country the best logistical infrastructure in the world, and to enhance its position as a major axis of aviation, transportation and human beings at the global level.

For its part, His Excellency Hanan Mansour Al Ahly, Director of the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics, confirmed that the results achieved by the UAE in the aviation sector over the past decade reflect the advanced level reached by the aviation industry and its related sectors, and represents a reflection of the visions of the rational leadership in converting the state into a global attraction, and a point that has reached between the various continents and countries of the world.

Al -Ahly said that the number of travelers received by the state airports exceeded the barrier of one billion passengers in ten years, and achieving more than 6.4 million air movements in the same period, and the advanced centers that the UAE has befell in various global competitiveness indicators related to the aviation and air transport sector, which is the culmination of decades of hard and intense work in light of a permanent follow -up to the development of this vital sector.

The qualitative achievements in the air transport sector, the competitiveness of the UAE in this vital sector, and its crowning of the global and regional tops among the most competitive indicators related to the efficiency and quality of air transport services, where the state ranked first globally in the air transport quality index within the annual book report for global competitiveness for the year 2025, issued by the International Institute for Administrative Development, and in the third rank globally in the Air Transport Services Services Institute, the Air Transport Services Exploitation, the Air Transport Services Intelligence Index. The index of the number of seats available per kilometer per week, within the report of the Tourism and Travel Development Index for the year 2024, issued by the World Economic Forum, and the eighth rank globally in the index of the number of airlines operating in the same report, which ranked the state in the tenth place in the world in the number of air services agreements.

The data of the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics showed that the movement of passengers through state airports increased from 114.8 million passengers in 2015 to 147.8 million passengers in 2024, a growth of 28.7%, to reach the total movement of passengers that include arrivals, departures and transites, during the period from 2015 to 2024 more than one billion passengers, while the movement of the next and leaving aircraft increased to more than 800 thousand movements The end of 2024, for the total movement of the next and departing aircraft during the past ten years more than 6.4 million movements.

Statistics indicated that the movement of passengers increased through state airports during 2015, to 114.8 million passengers, to continue to rise in 2016 to 124.3 million passengers, with a growth rate of 8.2%, then increased to 126.5 million passengers in 2017, recording a growth of 1.8%, and in 2018 more than 129 million passengers reached a growth rate of 2.0%, before declining in 2019 to 127.9 million A traveler, in conjunction with the decline in the global travel movement that deteriorated during the year 2020 due to the Kofid-19 pandemic, which caused the closure of the largest international airports in the history of the air transport industry, as the movement of passengers through state airports in this year decreased to 38.3 million passengers, a decrease of 70%.

In 2021, the sector began to gradually restore its growth again, as the movement of passengers gradually increased to 45.9 million passengers, with a growth of 19.6%, before it recorded exceptional growth in 2022, amounting to 120%, to reach more than 101 million passengers.

According to the data of the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics, the sector continued its rise in 2023, registering a growth of 31.2% to 132.5 million passengers, bypassing before the levels 11.5% compared to 2023.

Statistics for the distribution of passengers in the airports, according to the emirate, showed that Dubai International Airports were acquired on the major share of the movement of coming, departing and transient passengers, during the past ten years, with about 782.2 million passengers, followed by Abu Dhabi airports with 200.5 million passengers, then Sharjah International Airport with 101.5 million passengers, then Ras Al Khaimah Airport with more than 4 million passengers, and Fujairah Airport with 118.1 A thousand passengers, in addition to 46.6 thousand passengers through other local airports.

Statistics of the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics indicated that the continuous growth in air transport in the UAE was not limited to the numbers of passengers, but also extended to the movement of the aircraft that increased during the period from 2015 to 2024, to reach more than 6.4 million upcoming air and departure movements, reflecting the pivotal role of the UAE airports as a gate linking the world, and its ability to absorb an increasing air movement continuously.

According to statistics, the movement of the next and departing aircraft through state airports increased from 739.8 thousand movement in 2015, to 754.6 thousand movements in 2016, with a growth rate of 2%.

During the Kofid-19, the movement of the upcoming and leaving aircraft recorded a sharp decrease to 331.5 thousand movements in 2020, before it improved in 2021 by its height to 428.1 thousand movements, and to 614.3 thousand movements in 2022, before it regained the year 2023 levels before the pandem Growth of 10.4%, which is an unprecedented number in the history of air traffic in the country.