UAE. In a further positive sign of recovery in the travel market, Dubai Airports is expecting to handle more than a million passengers over the next 11 days (12-22 August) at Dubai International (DXB), with daily peaks averaging 100,000 passengers during weekends.
The anticipated surge coincides with the seasonal peak at the end of the Summer holidays when families travel back to the UAE. Recent changes in travel regulations for the UAE have buoyed travel to and from several countries. The UAE recently eased travel regulations for inbound and transit passengers from including India and other states, while the UK upgraded the UAE to its ‘Amber’ list of countries, opening quarantine-free travel for certain categories of travellers.
DXB has over 100 retail and dining outlets open 24 hours a day to cater to travellers’ needs.
“We are prepared, and we are doing everything we can to make sure that passengers have a safe and smooth experience at DXB. But given the recent changes in travel requirements, which can often differ depending on the starting point and the destination of a journey, passengers can make a big difference to their airport experience by following a few simple rules and tips,” said Dubai Airports Vice President of Terminal Operations Essa Al Shamsi.
In related news, DXB passenger volumes in the second quarter of 2021 reached 4.9 million, taking the half yearly figure for the year to 10.6 million, a year on year contraction of -40.9%. DXB is currently serving 68% of the destinations in 94% of the countries on 70% of the airlines compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said: “In anticipation of the robust recovery of global air travel, we started the second half on a high note by re-opening Terminal 1 and Concourse D – the home terminal for our 60 international carriers, after 15 months of hibernation to accommodate the seasonal rush of travellers over the summer holidays. This was essential to facilitate the continued expansion of the route networks of our home base carriers Emirates and flydubai, whose joint network spans 168 destinations and growing. We have already witnessed some of our busiest weekends of the year in July, and with major international events such as the Dubai Expo 2020 and Dubai Airshow 2021 lined up for the months ahead, the outlook for 2021 in terms of passenger numbers looks very promising.”
India continued to be DXB’s top destination country by traffic volume in the first half with passenger numbers exceeding 1.9 million. Pakistan was second with 700,074 customers, followed by Russia (406,209) and Egypt (401,361). Other destination countries of note include Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the US. The top three cities by traffic were Addis Ababa (354,804 passengers), followed by Cairo (345,886) and Moscow (344,175).
