Dubai International Airport, the lifeline of Dubai, welcomed over 95m passengers in 2025: Mohammed

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said on his X account: "Dubai International Airport, the lifeline of Dubai, welcomed over 95 million passengers in 2025, making it the busiest airport in the world for international passenger traffic."

Sheikh Mohammed added: "DXB is a role model in quality of service and dealings, as 454,000 flights were handled during the year, and the average waiting time for arrival procedures for 98.8% of passengers was less than 15 minutes. I am proud of its services, proud of its team led by Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum for decades with utmost professionalism, and proud of its exceptional growth rates.

"May Allah Almighty protect the UAE and perpetuate its glory, majesty, and success."

Earlier, Dubai Airports on Wednesday announced that Dubai International (DXB) welcomed 95.2 million guests in 2025, up 3.1 percent year on year, marking the busiest year in the airport’s history and the highest annual international passenger traffic ever recorded by any airport. 

More significantly, 2025 was defined not by a single peak, but by sustained performance at record levels. DXB achieved its busiest day, month, quarter and year on record, operating at the edge of physical capacity while consistently delivering operational excellence. What would represent extraordinary strain elsewhere has become part of DXB's normal operating rhythm. 

Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

December closed as the busiest month in DXB history, with 8.7 million guests, up 6.1 percent year on year. The fourth quarter was also the busiest ever, with 25.1 million guests, an increase of 5.9 percent compared to the same period in 2024. 

Total flight movements reached 118,000 in Q4, up 5 percent, bringing the annual total to 454,800 a rise of 3.3 percent year on year. 

Despite continued growth in movements, average passengers per movement remained strong at 214, reflecting sustained deployment of larger aircraft and high load efficiency. The annual load factor stood at 77.6 percent, a marginal adjustment of 0.5 percentage points. 

Rather than a story of isolated surges, 2025 demonstrated DXB’s ability to operate continuously and deliver a superior guest experience at record levels through disciplined planning and close coordination across the oneDXB community comprising airlines, service partners and government stakeholders. 

DXB efficiently managed 86.75 million bags in 2025, a 4.95 percent year-on-year increase, marking the highest ever baggage volume handled during the calendar year. 

Highlighting the airport’s commitment to operational excellence, 89 percent of all arriving baggage was delivered to guests terminating at DXB within 45 minutes of the aircraft arriving on stand. DXB continued to deliver world-class mishandled baggage performance at 99.75 percent, translating to 2.47 mishandled bags per 1,000 guests. 

Guest processing times also remained stable at scale, with 99.35 percent of guests experiencing waiting times of less than 10 minutes at departure passport control, while 98.8 percent waiting under 15 minutes at arrival passport control. Security check waiting times remained below 5 minutes for 98.9 percent of guests. 

India retained its position as DXB’s largest country market with 11.9 million guests, followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at 7.5 million, the United Kingdom at 6.3 million, Pakistan at 4.3 million, and the United States at 3.3 million. 

Several markets recorded particularly strong growth during the year. Traffic from China increased 16.6 percent to 2.5 million, Russia grew 6 percent to 2.8 million, Turkey rose 6.7 percent to 2.2 million, Egypt expanded 14.3 percent to 1.8 million, and Italy climbed 12.5 percent to 1.6 million. 

London remained DXB’s busiest city destination with 3.9 million guests, followed by Riyadh at 3 million, Mumbai and Jeddah at 2.4 million each, and New Delhi at 2.2 million. 

By the end of 2025, DXB was connected to 291 destinations across 110 countries, served by 108 international airlines, reinforcing its position as one of the most globally connected hubs in the world. 

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said, “Airports are often defined by moments of intensity, but long-term performance is defined by how well those moments are sustained. In 2025, DXB showed that record traffic is no longer an exception, but part of its operating reality. That consistency at scale reflects the maturity of the system and the strength of collaboration across our oneDXB airport community to deliver excellence under growing demand.”