Dubai International Airport has retained its spot as the world’s second busiest airport for international passengers in 2024, based on new data from Airports Council International (ACI) World.
The airport ranked just behind Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The global number of airline passengers reached nearly 9.5 billion last year, which is a 9% jump from 2023 and about 3.8% higher than the numbers seen before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.
Airports in the top 10 list, including Dubai, made up around 855 million of these passengers, about 9% of the total global count. This marks a solid recovery from 2019, when the same airports handled about 789 million passengers.
Meanwhile, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport landed third on the list, trailing closely behind Dubai. These rankings are based on the number of travelers passing through each airport.
Aside from passenger traffic, ACI reported that air cargo shipments also increased in 2024 by 8.4% from the previous year, reaching over 124 million metric tonnes worldwide.
“Amid global challenges, the resilience of the world’s busiest airports shines. These hubs are vital arteries of trade, commerce, and connectivity,” said ACI World Director-General Justin Erbacci.
