Dubai International Airport records 66% pax decrease in Mar-2026

Dubai Airports reported (04-May-2026) Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central (Al Maktoum International Airport) handled six million passengers, 213,000 tonnes of cargo and more than 32,000 aircraft movements between 28-Feb-2026 and 30-Apr-2026. Dubai Airports stated: "Following the lifting of all precautionary restrictions on UAE airspace, Dubai Airports has entered the next phase of recovery operations, ramping up daily fight movements and enabling airlines to progressively restore schedules", adding: "Capacity is now primarily aligned to the availability of regional flight paths outside of the UAE, with ongoing coordination to optimise flows across neighbouring airspace". Dubai International Airport traffic highlights for 1Q2026 include:

• Mar-2026:
  • Passengers: 2.5 million, -65.7% year-on-year;
  • Cargo: 66,000 tonnes;
• 1Q2026:
  • Passengers: 18.6 million, -20.6%;
  • Cargo: 399,600, -22.7%;
  • Aircraft movements: 88,000, -20.8%. [more - original PR]