Dubai Airport Is Busiest for Global Travel as Virus Persists

Dubai Airport Is Busiest for Global Travel as Virus Persists

Dubai's main airport said Tuesday it has retained its top place as the world's busiest for international travel with around 29 million passengers shuttling through the global gateway last year.

The 2021 passenger figures are encouraging for the tourism-driven economy of Dubai, regarded as a critical link between East and West.

The numbers are sign that international travel has picked up somewhat since the coronavirus pandemic spawned unprecedented global lockdowns and border closures in 2020. Last year's figure represents a 12% increase in traffic at Dubai International Airport compared to 2020, which had recorded nearly 26 million travelers.

Still, even with 29.1 million passengers crisscrossing last year through Dubai International Airport, or DXB, the figure is nowhere near the pre-pandemic milestone of 86.4 million in annual traffic logged by the airport in 2019, The Associated Press reported.

Just over 70% of Dubai's airport traveler figures last year represent arrivals, with much of that likely residents traveling to and from the emirate. Prior to the pandemic, around half of all passenger figures were transiting through Dubai.

CEO of Dubai Airports, Paul Griffiths, said DXB forecasts 57 million travelers to come through the airport this year, and a full recovery to pre-pandemic figures by 2024.

“Dubai has done