Dubai International Airport revises forecasts – again – for 2023 passenger numbers to 83m

Dubai International Airport revises forecasts – again – for 2023 passenger numbers to 83m

Dubai: After a first quarter surge, Dubai International Airport (DXB) has again revised its 2023 forecasts, to 83 million passengers against the initial estimates of 78 million. In the first quarter, the airport oversaw more than 21.2 million visitors. Based on these numbers, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, is confident the hub will continue exceeding those initial forecasts for 2023. In 2022, DXB had 66 million travellers, helped by the city experiencing a consistent demand from visitors, for leisure and business. March 2023 saw the highest monthly traffic of 7.3 million passengers since January 2020. According to Griffiths, DXB tapped strong growth in demand across key markets. With China's travel protocols removed and with more festive holidays, the outlook for Q2-23 and the rest of the year remains optimistic. "DXB's performance in the first quarter has exceeded our expectations and reflects the strong growth in demand we continue to see across our key markets," said Griffiths. DXB's passenger traffic totalled 21,256,489 during the first three months, up 55.8 per cent compared to Q1-22. This marks the first time since the fourth quarter of 2019 that the average monthly traffic reached the 7-million passenger mark. The airport's total flight movements