Record-breaking Dubai Airport
Dubai International Airport (DXB) has inaugurated 2025 with record-breaking results, welcoming 23.4 million passengers in the first quarter of the year. The figure, up 1.5% compared to the same period in 2024, once again confirms DXB's position as the busiest international airport in the world, despite the fact that the previous year had already set historical records.
Particularly significant was the month of January, which saw 8.5 million passengers pass through, marking the highest monthly traffic ever recorded in Dubai. A result made possible not only by the state-of-the-art infrastructure, but above all thanks to the coordinated and tireless work of the DXB community: thousands of operators, from Dubai Airports teams to government partners, airlines and commercial operators, who contribute every day to making the traveler experience efficient and memorable.
DXB's main markets and destinations
India maintained its lead as the top destination market, with 3 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia (1.9 million), the United Kingdom (1.5 million), Pakistan (1 million), the United States (804,000) and Germany (738,000). London is confirmed as the busiest city with 935,000 passengers, followed by Riyadh, Jeddah, Mumbai and New Delhi.
Leisure tourism also showed lively growth, thanks to the holidays at the beginning of the year, with significant increases to destinations such as the Czech Republic (+30.6%), Vietnam (+28.6%) and Spain (+20.2%).
Operational efficiency and virtuous cases at Dubai airport
In the first quarter, DXB handled more than 21 million bags with extraordinary accuracy, achieving a lost rate of less than 1.95 bags per 1,000 passengers (99.8% success). Flow management has been made even smoother thanks to advanced technologies such as biometric checks, which have allowed more than 95% of passengers to take advantage of minimal waiting times at the main transit points.
Among the stories that best embody DXB's "guest at the center" philosophy, episodes such as that of the Lost and Found team, which recovered and returned a suitcase containing over AED 100,000 in cash and precious documents in record time, or the gesture of immigration officer Abdullah Al Baloushi, who allowed a young traveler to calmly say goodbye to his mother in a wheelchair before departure: episodes that have received the public applause of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Dubai Airport Recognition and Outlook
DXB is not just numbers: its strength lies in its corporate culture. In the first quarter, Dubai Airports received the prestigious Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award, confirming its continued investment in well-being, training and staff development. This spirit of collaboration and widespread quality is what has allowed the airport to obtain, for the 11th consecutive year, the recognition of the busiest international airport in the world by the Airports Council International (ACI).
DXB today connects travelers to 269 destinations in 106 countries, served by 101 international airlines, and is preparing to continue 2025 with the same energy and attention that distinguish it.
