12 September 2026
Dubai International Airport (DXB) has handled 1.5 billion passengers since it opened in 1960, according to the Government of Dubai Media Office as reported by Gulf News on 11 September 2026. The figure was published alongside the second session of the Media Office International Media Briefings, where Paul Griffiths, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Airports, set out the numbers for this year and the plan for the move to Al Maktoum International. DXB took 31.5 million passengers in the first half of 2026, monthly traffic rose from 5 million in June to 6.3 million in July, and the airport expects around 70 million passengers for the full year, on the way to 100 million a year by the end of 2027. The physical ceiling at DXB is about 115 million, so growth beyond that goes to Al Maktoum International (DWC): its first major phase, with capacity for 150 million passengers a year, is due to come on stream at the beginning of the next decade, and flydubai could move five or six aircraft there as early as next year.
The briefing in numbers
The session took place on Friday 11 September 2026 and was moderated by Hend Fekri, Director of Strategic Media Relations at the Government of Dubai Media Office. The figures Griffiths gave:
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Passengers handled since 1960 | 1.5 billion (Government of Dubai Media Office, reported by Gulf News) |
| DXB, first half of 2026 | 31.5 million passengers |
| Monthly traffic | 5 million in June, 6.3 million in July, up 26% in a single month |
| DXB, full year 2026 | About 70 million passengers expected |
| DXB target | 100 million passengers a year by the end of 2027 |
| DXB maximum capacity | About 115 million passengers a year |
| Airline capacity recovered | 84% of previous levels |
| Passenger volumes recovered | 78% of previous levels |
| Transfer versus point-to-point | Broadly even |
| DWC first phase | 150 million passengers a year, early 2030s |
| DWC at full build | Up to 260 million passengers a year |
| DWC second runway | By the end of 2027 |
How 2026 is actually going at DXB
Griffiths described the recovery as a “trampoline bounce”, with momentum that could take traffic higher than before. The month on month step is the clearest evidence: 5 million passengers in June, 6.3 million in July, a 26% increase in a single month. Airline capacity at DXB is back to 84% of previous levels and passenger volumes to 78%, which means seats are returning slightly faster than passengers.
Some carriers have still not resumed flying to Dubai after the regional disruption caused by the US and Iran war. Most are expected back by the start of the coming winter season, which begins at the end of October, and Griffiths treats that as the next source of momentum. The mix between connecting passengers and those starting or ending their trip in Dubai has stayed broadly even at about half each, so the hub has held both sides of its traffic through a difficult year. In the same period DXB kept its network position: it was ranked first of 315 airports in the ACI Asia-Pacific and Middle East connectivity index for 2026.
The 70 million figure for 2026 sits below the 95.2 million DXB handled in 2025, and the 100 million target has moved with events. In August the same CEO said the airport would reach 100 million passengers a year within about 18 months. The briefing of 11 September puts the same milestone at the end of 2027.
Al Maktoum International: 150 million first, 260 million later
Griffiths said development at Al Maktoum International is going “full speed ahead”. The first major phase is on track for the beginning of the next decade and will provide capacity for 150 million passengers a year on its own, which is already more than DXB can ever handle. Fully built, DWC is planned for up to 260 million passengers a year, which would make it the largest airport in the world by capacity. Griffiths said the ambition is not to be known as the largest but as the best.
The design is modular. The airport will be built around eight main operating nodes, each with capacity for about 32 million passengers, so infrastructure can be added as demand arrives rather than all at once. At full development there will be five runways, four in regular use and one held in reserve. Two runways are enough to support the first 150 million passenger phase, with the rest brought into service as capacity grows.
The next visible milestone is close. Dubai Airports expects the second runway at DWC to open by the end of 2027. Construction contracting continues in parallel: Dubai Airports has said it plans to award a further AED 55 billion of DWC contracts by the end of 2026.
How the move from DXB will work
There is no single moving day. The transition from DXB to DWC will be phased, as capacity becomes available at the new airport. Griffiths said flydubai could begin the process by moving five or six aircraft as early as next year, which would free space at DXB for both flydubai and Emirates to keep growing while the older airport runs close to its limits. The broader transition would then take place over several months, and DXB operations are ultimately planned to move to DWC once the initial 150 million passenger capacity is running.
What the briefing did not give is a date for the first phase beyond “the early 2030s”, a month for the flydubai aircraft, or a schedule for Emirates. Anyone planning around the move should treat the sequence as confirmed and the calendar as open.
The passenger experience Dubai Airports is designing
Griffiths used the new airport as the reason to rebuild the passenger journey rather than copy it across. The stated aim is to remove conventional processes and queues: check-in could largely disappear, with baggage drop and facial recognition doing the work, so that arriving at the airport feels, in his words, “more like an arrival at a lobby of a hotel”. Dubai Airports is also looking at integration with the city transport network, and says artificial intelligence and other advances will keep changing what the terminal has to do, which is why the design has to stay flexible. On the network side, Gulf News reports that Dubai Airports is already in discussions with airlines about new direct routes to cities in Europe and Africa.
What this means for companies in the UAE
This is a set of figures and a construction roadmap, not a change in rules. Nothing in the briefing affects licensing, visas, customs procedures or tax, and there is no date on which anything becomes available to book. What it does give is a planning horizon:
- Air connectivity keeps widening. Seat capacity at DXB is back to 84% of previous levels and most of the remaining carriers are expected to return by the start of the winter season at the end of October. For companies whose staff or customers fly in, route choice in the coming season is a question for airlines, not for the airport operator.
- DXB stays the passenger hub for years. The first phase at DWC is due in the early 2030s. Offices, warehouses and staff housing chosen for proximity to DXB do not need to be rethought because of this briefing.
- Dubai South changes first for cargo. The freighter side is already moving: flydubai starts dedicated freighter flights from DWC on 1 October 2026. For shippers that is a real date; for passenger operations it is not.
- Nothing to file, nothing to apply for. No approval, permit or registration follows from this announcement. Treat construction milestones as context for site selection and hiring plans, not as a trigger for paperwork.
How Atlant Capital can help
We do not build airports or sell flights. We handle the corporate side for companies that operate in and through Dubai: company registration on the mainland and in the free zones, including Dubai South and the free zones around the two airports, with a licence activity that matches what the business actually does; corporate and personal bank account opening with a properly assembled KYC and source of funds package; and residency and work visas for founders, families and staff. Accounting, audit, VAT and corporate tax filing are handled by licensed accounting firms from our partner network rather than in house. We do not promise approvals or timelines that a regulator or a bank has not given in writing.
FAQ
How many passengers has Dubai International handled since it opened?
1.5 billion passengers since the airport opened in 1960, according to the Government of Dubai Media Office as reported by Gulf News on 11 September 2026. The figure was published around the Media Office briefing with Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths. For scale, DXB handled 95.2 million passengers in 2025 alone and expects about 70 million in 2026.
When will DXB reach 100 million passengers a year?
Dubai Airports expects 100 million passengers a year by the end of 2027. DXB took 31.5 million passengers in the first half of 2026 and is forecast to finish the year at about 70 million, with monthly traffic rising from 5 million in June to 6.3 million in July. The maximum capacity of DXB is about 115 million passengers a year.
When does Dubai move to Al Maktoum International Airport?
The first major phase of Al Maktoum International, with capacity for 150 million passengers a year, is expected to come on stream at the beginning of the 2030s, and DXB operations are planned to move once it is running. The transition is phased: flydubai could move five or six aircraft as early as next year, with the broader move taking several months. No exact dates were given.
How big will Al Maktoum International Airport be?
Up to 260 million passengers a year at full build, against about 115 million at DXB. The airport is designed around eight operating nodes of roughly 32 million passengers each and will have five runways, four in regular use and one on standby. Two runways will support the first 150 million passenger phase, and the second runway is due to open by the end of 2027.
Does this announcement change anything for business licences or visas in Dubai?
No. The briefing covered traffic figures and airport construction plans. It does not change company registration, licensing, visa or customs rules, and it sets no new deadlines for businesses. The one dated item in the wider Dubai South programme is cargo: flydubai starts dedicated freighter flights from DWC on 1 October 2026.
