Dubai Customs turns speed into value: Air cargo transactions surge 53% in H1 2026

As speed increasingly shapes trade and investment decisions, Dubai Customs’ Air Cargo Centres Management is transforming the emirate’s strategic location and global connectivity into a competitive advantage — accelerating cargo flows, keeping pace with the surge in e-commerce, and expanding operational capacity to meet the growing demands of global trade.

This gives businesses greater agility in reaching markets and managing their operations, while strengthening Dubai’s role as a global gateway for trade and logistics — where the efficient movement of goods helps unlock new pathways for business, investment, and economic growth.

The results for the first half of 2026 reflect the scale of this role: the Air Cargo Centres Management processed approximately 18.2 million customs transactions, compared to around 11.9 million during the same period in 2025, marking growth of nearly 53 %. The total weight of shipments handled by the management reached approximately 1.3 million tons, compared to around 886,000 tons — growth of nearly 47 %.

Mohammed Al Ghaffari, Executive Director of the Customs Inspection Division at Dubai Customs said, “These results reflect Dubai Customs’ shift from facilitating trade to empowering it.

The role of customs work is no longer limited to processing transactions — it now extends to supporting trade and economic growth, improving the business environment, reducing time and cost, and strengthening Dubai’s ability to attract trade flows and investments linked to the shipping, distribution, logistics, and digital economy sectors, directly contributing to the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda.”

He affirmed that the Customs Inspection Division is one of the key enablers of trade movement in Dubai, given its role in striking a balance between border protection and the smooth flow of trade, and in ensuring goods reach local markets efficiently and reliably.

He added, “We are developing a customs inspection model capable of keeping pace with continuous trade growth and the rapid shifts in supply chains, strengthening Dubai’s ability to maintain its position as a pivotal hub for global trade. This approach also translates Dubai Customs’ strategy and future plans into a direct impact on economic activity, ensuring that customs points of entry continue to support trade growth and enhance the emirate’s ability to attract business and connect global markets.”

The shift in trade patterns is even more evident in the results of the Free Zone Department within the Air Cargo sector, which completed approximately 17.7 million customs transactions during the first half of 2026, compared to around 10.9 million during the same period in 2025 — growth of 62 %.

In a further indicator of growing e-commerce activity, the Free Zone Department handled more than 6.2 million postal parcels during the first six months of the year, placing the air cargo centers at the heart of accelerating flows that require processing vast numbers of shipments and parcels efficiently and quickly, while maintaining the highest levels of customs control and protection.

This growth reflects not only a rise in shipping volumes but also a shift in the nature of trade itself. E-commerce relies on large volumes of small shipments and rapid movement from order to delivery, making the efficiency of customs procedures a core part of the digital trade cycle and the experience of both businesses and consumers.

In this context, the Cross-Border E-Commerce Platform — one of Dubai Customs’ advanced initiatives — supports the emirate’s ability to keep pace with this shift by providing an integrated customs framework that serves digital trade companies and logistics service providers, linking the sector’s growth to facilitations that speed up procedures and raise operational efficiency.

Operational development at the centres is complemented by customs facilitations aimed at easing the burden on the e-commerce sector. Chief among these is the increase in the customs duty exemption threshold for eligible goods and products within cross-border e-commerce shipments to Dhs1,000, effective 3rd August, 2026.

This adjustment gives companies greater scope to capitalize on the growth of digital trade, helping to reduce costs, raise operational efficiency, and strengthen the competitiveness of the business environment.

The facilitations also include exempting returned goods imported by companies for personal purposes from customs duties, provided the duties were previously paid and the goods are returned within 60 days of their departure — supporting flexible returns processes in line with the nature of e-commerce.

The exemption does not apply to tobacco and its derivatives, e-cigarette devices, accessories, and nicotine liquids, alcoholic beverages, and food preparations containing alcohol.

Readiness That Matches the Rapid Growth in Shipping Activity

Abdulla Ahmad Alblooshi, Director of Air Cargo Centers Management at Dubai Customs said, “The results for the first half of 2026 reflect our ability to keep pace with the rapid growth in shipping and e-commerce activity. For us, success isn’t measured only by the number of transactions or the volume of goods we handle — it extends to the greater speed we provide traders and companies in reaching markets, the higher efficiency we enable in managing their operations, and the broader capacity for growth we offer them from Dubai.”

He added, “We are working to shorten the time between a shipment’s arrival and its entry into the market, because the speed of customs procedures has become a core part of trade competitiveness. As transaction volumes and shipment sizes continue to rise, we are continuing to build the capabilities of our inspectors and staff, and equipping our centers with smart technologies, devices, and artificial intelligence applications that raise the efficiency of examination and inspection and speed up processing — without compromising protection and customs compliance requirements.”

82% Growth Amid Geo-Economic Shifts

The ability of the air cargo centers to support trade continuity stood out even more clearly during periods of heightened operational pressure and geo-economic shifts. The total volume of imported goods cleared through the Cargo Village at Dubai International Airport and the Air Cargo Centre at Al Maktoum International Airport rose to 48.26 million kilogrammes in May 2026, compared to around 26.56 million kilograms in January of the same year — growth of nearly 82 %.

The maximum daily volume of goods handled also rose to 2.11 million kilogrammes in May, compared to 1.24 million kilogrammes in January, reflecting higher operational capacity and the centers’ flexibility in absorbing rising demand while maintaining fast processing and service quality.

Dubai Customs supported this readiness through field initiatives aimed at boosting operational capacity, including stepping up inspection activities, introducing innovative procedures to serve customers, and developing work mechanisms — contributing to shorter processing times, faster operations, and the continuous, efficient flow of goods to local markets.

WAM