It is expected that Dubai Airport will break the passenger record in 2024

Dubai's air hub has "every chance" of breaking its passenger traffic record this year after exceeding the pre-pandemic level in 2023. This was stated by the CEO of Dubai Airport in an interview with AFP on Monday.

CEO Paul Griffiths cited the early recovery of Dubai, the business and financial center of the United Arab Emirates, after the pandemic as key factors in this achievement. "As well as the rapid recovery of airport staffing levels," writes TheSouthAfrican.

"We got back to 100 percent capacity much earlier, and as a result, our traffic has recovered much faster," he said, adding that Dubai's record of 89.1 million passengers set in 2018 could be surpassed this year.

"I think there is every chance of surpassing it. It could be a new record," Griffiths said. "I looked at the January numbers, and let's just say they give me some reason to be optimistic."

Dubai Airports' official forecast for this year is 88.8 million passengers, just shy of the record, despite Israel's war against Hamas, which began in October.

"We've demonstrated the absolute resilience of the network we operate," Griffiths said, adding that Dubai Airport serves 104 countries with 102 airlines.

"If there is a slight drop in demand at one destination or departure point, it is generally offset by the rest of the network filling in that space," he added.

According to Griffiths, cargo traffic grew by 20.4% in the last quarter, possibly due to attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on ships traveling through the Red Sea.

Griffiths said that the growth in traffic to and from rapidly developing Saudi Arabia was "phenomenal", with Riyadh becoming the second busiest Dubai-Dubai route after London.

"If you look at the growth of travel and tourism globally, we are only scratching the surface in this region," he said. - "The region is starting to realize that travel and tourism are fantastic drivers of economic growth, and that it's not competition, but cooperation and complementarity. If you have more cities that people want to visit, the more cities and options, the more people come to the region."

Earlier, Travel Wise wrote how to travel in Dubai on a budget and see everything in three days. Practical tips for tourists.