Dubai International Airport in 2021 held on to its crown as the world's busiest international airport. Photo: Dubai Airports
Dubai International Airport in 2021 held on to its crown as the world's busiest international airport. Photo: Dubai Airports
Dubai International Airport in 2021 held on to its crown as the world's busiest international airport. Photo: Dubai Airports
Dubai International Airport in 2021 held on to its crown as the world's busiest international airport. Photo: Dubai Airports

Dubai airport was world's busiest international hub in 2021


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Dubai International Airport retained the title of the world's busiest international hub for passengers in 2021, as air travel demand continues to recover, rankings by the Airports Council International (ACI) show.

Istanbul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris followed Dubai as the top five busiest airports by international traffic, the trade association for airports worldwide said on Monday.

Dubai, which does not have a domestic market, recorded a 12.7 per cent increase in passenger traffic year on year to 29.1 million in 2021.

“The ACI World passenger traffic rankings tell the story of an encouraging trend of recovery, with most of the recurrent busiest airports pre-Covid-19 back at the top,” ACI World's director general Luis Felipe de Oliveira said.

“Although we are cautious that recovery could face multiple headwinds, the momentum created by reopening plans by countries could lead to an uptick in travel in the second half of 2022."

Global airlines and airports, emerging from the two-year Covid-19 pandemic that shattered air travel demand, are now facing steep rises in jet fuel costs and staff shortages as they try to resume operations as travel rebounds.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport topped the rankings by overall passenger traffic last year, returning to the list with a 76.4 per cent year-on-year increase in traffic of 75.7 million travellers, ACI data showed.

The rankings are based on the preliminary compilation of 2021 global data from airports around the world, and take into account their domestic and international markets.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Denver International Airport, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport rounded off the top five.

Eight of the top 10 airports for passenger traffic are in the US, with the two remaining in China, per ACI estimates.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport were the two Chinese airports on the top 10 list.

China's international borders stayed shut last year and the country's domestic traffic fell as a result of its zero-Covid policy that led to strict travel restrictions, dampening demand.

Although we are cautious that recovery could face multiple headwinds, the momentum created by reopening plans by countries could lead to an uptick in travel in the second half of 2022
Luis Felipe de Oliveira,
director general, ACI World

Orlando International Airport recorded the biggest improvement, jumping to seventh spot in 2021 from 27th position in 2020. Orlando, home to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Florida theme parks, benefited from soaring leisure travel in the US.

"All top 10 airports have a significant share of domestic traffic, the traffic segment that has been leading global recovery," ACI said.

The total number of global passengers in 2021 is estimated to be nearly 4.5 billion, representing an annual increase of about 25 per cent and a drop of more than 50 per cent from 2019, before the pandemic, ACI said.

Passenger traffic at the top 10 busiest airports accounted for almost 10 per cent of total global traffic, it said. This represents an increase of almost 52 per cent from 2020 but a drop of 29 per cent from 2019.

Global air cargo volumes, meanwhile, increased nearly 15 per cent year on year to an estimated record 124 million metric tonnes in 2021, ACI data revealed.

"The gain can be attributed to the continued increase in demand for online consumer goods and pharmaceutical products," the trade body said.

10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

Three tips from La Perle's performers

1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.

2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.

3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.

Sting & Shaggy

44/876

(Interscope)

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma

When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

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Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

Results

6.30pm Madjani Stakes Rated Conditions (PA) I Dh160,000 1,900m I Winner: Mawahib, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)

7.05pm Maiden Dh150,000 1,400m I Winner One Season, Antonio Fresu, Satish Seemar

7.40pm: Maiden Dh150,000 2,000m I Winner Street Of Dreams, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

8.15pm Dubai Creek Listed Dh250,000 1,600m I Winner Heavy Metal, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

8.50pm The Entisar Listed Dh250,000 2,000m I Winner Etijaah, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson

9.25pm The Garhoud Listed Dh250,000 1,200m Winner Muarrab, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

10pm Handicap Dh160,000 1,600m Winner Sea Skimmer, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi

Updated: April 11, 2022, 11:12 AM`