Dubai International airport (DXB), the world’s busiest international airport, has become fully operational with all terminals, concourses, lounges, restaurants, and retail outlets as it opened the final phase of Concourse A at Terminal 3.
Terminal 3 is expected to serve more than 1.6 million passengers in the second half of December during the month’s peak seasonal travel period.
In October, the number of visitors to Dubai crossed one million, and in November, DXB achieved the key milestone of one million passengers per week, with origin-destination passengers hitting 94 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
Following the lifting of international travel regulations for residents by UAE authorities, the reopening of Terminals 2 and 3 and Concourses B and C for normal inbound passenger operations resumed on June 22, 2020, after the shutdown in March 2020.
International travel for UAE citizens and residents began on June 23, with the first tourists arriving in Dubai on July 7, 2020. On June 24, 2021, Dubai Airports reopened Terminal 1 and Concourse D, which are home to over 60 international airlines.
Paul Griffiths CEO – Dubai Airports
“Reaching the point where 100 percent of our facilities are now open and serving customers, plus the huge resurgence in passengers arriving into Dubai marks an important milestone for the aviation sector as well as for the city of Dubai and its economic growth. We took early steps to implement best-in-class hygiene and health protocols, fast track PCR testing facilities, and enhanced customer service and guest support resources to ensure the comfort, convenience and safety of travelers, and this has resulted in a strong recovery towards pre-pandemic levels of passengers.”
According to reports, passenger traffic reached 10.6 million passengers in the first half of 2021, followed by robust growth in Q3 of 2021 and a surge in October 2021 which took the year-to-date passenger numbers to 20.7 million. With the busy holiday season to the end of the year showing further growth, passenger numbers are expected to reach 28.9 million by the end of 2021, 2.1 million more than the September 2021 forecast.
