Chart of the week: UAE airports hit record passenger figures

Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International airport saw a 28% increase year on year

The UAE's airports recorded significant growth in passenger traffic in 2024 when they collectively handled 147.8 million travellers, up 10 per cent annually, as the country solidifies its position as a global hub for travel, business and investment.

The UAE last year recorded 41.6 million inbound passengers, while 41.7 million departed, and 64.4 million transited through its airports, according to the latest data by the country's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

The growth of the aviation sector, one of the key drivers of the UAE's economic expansion, led to an increase in the number of jobs with 9,622 registered pilots, 35,899 cabin crew members, 4,493 engineers, 461 air traffic controllers and 419 dispatchers, the aviation sector regulator said. It did not provide comparable numbers for 2023.

With the influx of tourists, expats and investors into the UAE, the number of air traffic movements reached 1.03 million flights in 2024, marking the highest recorded air traffic volume in the country's history, according to the GCAA.

More than half of the UAE airports' total passenger traffic in 2024 was funneled through Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world's busiest hub by international passengers for a decade.

Dubai International Airport handled a record 92.3 million passengers last year, an annual increase of nearly 6 per cent, following a strong fourth quarter.

DXB, home to long-haul airline Emirates, beat its November forecast of 91.9 million annual passengers last year, up from 87 million in 2023 and exceeding its pre-Covid record of 89.1 million in 2018.

The emirate's aviation growth contributes to its Dubai Economic Agenda D33’s target of becoming one of the world’s top five logistics hubs and doubling foreign trade by expanding connections to 400 new cities globally.

Dubai attracted 18.7 million international tourists in 2024, up 9 per cent annually, as the emirate pushes to diversify its economy through non-oil sectors such as aviation, tourism, trade, logistics, technology and financial services.

Meanwhile in Abu Dhabi, passenger traffic across the UAE capital's five airports hit a record 29.4 million travellers in 2024, up 28 per cent year-on-year, driven by growth at Zayed International Airport that is home to Gulf major Etihad Airways.

Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport handled 28.8 million passengers last year, up from 22.4 in 2023, as the emirate's main hub added airlines and expanded its network. It connected travellers to a network of more than 125 destinations with 29 routes launched last year.

The hub is home to Etihad Airways, which is pressing ahead with plans to triple passenger numbers to 33 million and double its fleet to 150 planes by the end of the decade.