DXB Traffic Slides to 18.6M in Q1 as Regional Disruptions Hit Travel
Dubai International Airport handles 18.6 million passengers in the first quarter of 2026 amid regional airspace disruptions.
Dubai International Airport, or DXB, managed 18.6 million passengers during the first quarter of 2026 as various challenges within the Middle Eastern airspace affected traffic across key transit hubs in the region.The decline represents a 20.6 percent drop from the previous year's figures, with March experiencing a significant downturn at 2.5 million passengers, down 65.7 percent compared to the same month in 2025.This decrease reflects broader turbulence within the aviation sector, particularly impacting Middle Eastern hubs that process substantial amounts of global transfer traffic.
Despite these disruptions, DXB continued its operations, facilitating approximately 6 million passengers, over 32,000 flights, and 213,000 tonnes of cargo between late February and April 30.Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, emphasized the extraordinary nature of recent events impacting major airport hubs like DXB.
International transfer traffic through the Middle East plays a significant role in global air travel, with 22.4 million annual passenger journeys passing through DXB, accounting for one-third of regional transfer traffic across key hubs.To mitigate these operational challenges, Dubai Airports focused on maintaining safe and consistent operations for customers by closely coordinating efforts and making swift decisions.India remained the largest source market for DXB, welcoming 2.5 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia with 1.3 million, the UK at 1.2 million, and Pakistan at 918,000.
London topped city routes with 752,000 travelers, trailed by Mumbai with 520,000 and Jeddah with 505,000.In terms of cargo volumes, DXB processed 399,600 tonnes in the first three months of the year, marking a 22.7 percent decline from the previous year's figures.
March specifically handled 66,000 tonnes, while aircraft movements fell by 20.8 percent to 88,000.The airport managed approximately 17.6 million bags during this period, including 2.6 million in March.
The mishandled baggage rate stood at 3.5 per 1,000 passengers, an increase from the previous year but still below the global average of around 6.3 per 1,000 passengers.
Despite these disruptions, DXB continued its operations, facilitating approximately 6 million passengers, over 32,000 flights, and 213,000 tonnes of cargo between late February and April 30.Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, emphasized the extraordinary nature of recent events impacting major airport hubs like DXB.
International transfer traffic through the Middle East plays a significant role in global air travel, with 22.4 million annual passenger journeys passing through DXB, accounting for one-third of regional transfer traffic across key hubs.To mitigate these operational challenges, Dubai Airports focused on maintaining safe and consistent operations for customers by closely coordinating efforts and making swift decisions.India remained the largest source market for DXB, welcoming 2.5 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia with 1.3 million, the UK at 1.2 million, and Pakistan at 918,000.
London topped city routes with 752,000 travelers, trailed by Mumbai with 520,000 and Jeddah with 505,000.In terms of cargo volumes, DXB processed 399,600 tonnes in the first three months of the year, marking a 22.7 percent decline from the previous year's figures.
March specifically handled 66,000 tonnes, while aircraft movements fell by 20.8 percent to 88,000.The airport managed approximately 17.6 million bags during this period, including 2.6 million in March.
The mishandled baggage rate stood at 3.5 per 1,000 passengers, an increase from the previous year but still below the global average of around 6.3 per 1,000 passengers.
