Dubai International Airport, the hub of Emirates airline, recorded a 70 per cent drop in passenger traffic last year as the Covid-19 pandemic hit the air travel industry, but it remains upbeat about a rebound.
The number of passengers who passed through the airport fell to 25.9 million last year, Dubai Airports said on Monday.
The airport handled 17.8 million passengers in the first quarter before the pandemic began to affect the global travel industry. Operations dropped significantly during the second quarter as the UAE issued directives to suspend most commercial flights in April.
Dubai, the Middle East's tourism and trade hub, reopened to international visitors in July.
"In the past year we have witnessed the most difficult circumstances the travel industry has ever faced," said Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports.
"These DXB passenger traffic figures are reflective of that testing environment, but also come with an element of hope and confidence."
The aviation sector has been among the worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic that disrupted travel and forced governments to impose restrictions to curb the virus.
"For the first time in the 60-year history of the world’s busiest international airport, the month of April saw commercial flights come to almost entire halt, as directed by the UAE government," said Dubai Airports.
As Dubai opened its gates to foreign travellers, the airport's average customer traffic figures in the third and fourth quarter peaked at 1.3 million, it said.
Dubai International handled 183,993 flights in 2020, down 51.4 per cent from the previous year, while the average number of travellers per flight fell by 20.3 per cent to 188.
The airport's annual air freight volume stood at 1.93 million tonnes in 2020, down 23.2 per cent from 2019.
The airline handled flights to 142 destinations in 202, about 61 per cent of pre-crisis routes, it said.
India remained the top destination by passenger numbers, with 2020 traffic at 4.3 million, followed by the UK with 1.89 million and Pakistan with 1.86 million.
The number of passengers who passed through Dubai International, which relies mainly on transit traffic in the absence of scheduled domestic flights, exceeded London's Heathrow airport, where traffic dropped by 73 per cent to 22.1 million in 2020.
"Looking forward, we are confident of a steady but optimistic outlook," said Mr Griffiths.
"We are constantly monitoring future schedules and bookings, working with airlines on their plans to return to DXB and new routes to be introduced."
Passengers arriving in Dubai - in pictures
More on Quran memorisation:
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Russia v Scotland, Thursday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Mobile phone packages comparison
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
