Dubai International handles 8.8 million passengers during December

Dubai Airports reported that last December recorded the highest monthly passenger movement in the 65-year history of Dubai International Airport, with numbers reaching 8.8 million passengers, indicating continued strong travel rates, with it expected to receive about 3.4 million guests during the period that began from January 1 and continues until January 11.

Dubai Airports CEO, Paul Griffiths, said in his LinkedIn account that January 3rd witnessed the highest number of passengers recorded in one day in the history of Dubai Airport, as the number of guests reached 324,000 people, which is the highest number ever for a single day.

In detail, Dubai Airports CEO, Paul Griffiths, said that Dubai International Airport recorded the highest monthly passenger movement last December in its 65-year history, as the number of passengers at the airport reached about 8.8 million passengers, compared to 8.3 million passengers in December 2024, in a clear indication of continued growth and exceptional demand for travel through Dubai.

Griffiths confirmed, in his account on the LinkedIn platform, that this record performance of Dubai Airport, which concluded the year 2025, paves the way for a strong start to the year 2026, indicating that Dubai Airport continued to break records at the beginning of the new year.

He explained that the third of January witnessed the highest number of passengers recorded in one day in the history of Dubai Airport, as the number of guests reached 324,000 people, which is the highest number ever for a single day, followed by the fourth of January, when 322,000 passengers were received through the airport buildings.

The CEO of Dubai Airports pointed out that the demand during the current peak season was exceptional, expressing his happiness with the ability of Dubai Airports to manage this significant growth with high efficiency.

He said that the success of operating the airport and receiving this large number of passengers reflects the strength of the operational system, and is essentially due to the flexibility and advance preparation of the working teams.

Griffiths stressed that operating the largest international airport in the world cannot be done without close partnerships, pointing to the pivotal role of cooperation and integration with airport service partners within the “oneDXB” system, expressing his gratitude for this cooperation, which is clearly evident during peak periods.

He explained that these busy periods represent an opportunity for Dubai Airports to see the results of planning, preparation and teamwork, as efforts are integrated to ensure the smooth flow of passenger traffic on a daily basis.

Griffiths expected high traffic rates to continue during the coming days, explaining that the daily numbers will remain above 300,000 passengers, with about 3.4 million guests expected to be received during the period that began on January 1 and continues until January 11.

The CEO of Dubai Airports stressed that the year 2026 holds promising prospects in terms of growth and achievements.

According to the latest data issued by Dubai Airports, Dubai International Airport continued to break records for quarterly passenger traffic in its 65-year history during the third quarter of 2025, as it received 24.2 million passengers between July and September, a growth of 1.9%, compared to last year. Dubai Airports estimates that the number of passengers will reach about 95 million passengers by the end of this year 2025, which is the highest number ever in the airport’s history.