Dubai, UAE – In December, airlines using Dubai International Airport (DXB) added the most seats in one month since the Covid-19 pandemic began, with almost 325,000 extra flight seats. What is more, the number of scheduled airline seats at the DXB surpassed 4.55 million, up from 4.23 million in November.
This is the highest growth rate among the top 10 airports in the number of international passengers worldwide, according to OAG Aviation company.
With its ongoing passenger rush, the DXB has surpassed the Hartsfield Atlanta airport to become the world’s second busiest in terms of total seat capacity on both international and domestic flights with a total seat capacity of around 4.55 million in December.
In comparison, Hartsfield Atlanta Airport had around 4.6 million seats, Tokyo International Airport 4.1 million, Heathrow 3.7 million million, and Dulles Airport 3.6 million.
According to OAG Aviation data, flights between Dubai and Riyadh were the busiest in December 2022, with 316,904 seats sold, followed by flights between Cairo and Jeddah with 347,844 seats.
New York JFK, Heathrow (LHR) fell one place to be ranked fourth with a capacity drop of 1 percent compared to last month, while the Cairo-Jeddah line jumped to second place after increasing its capacity by 12 percent. Flights between Dubai and Riyadh also rose one spot to third place after increasing theirs by 11 percent.
With an additional 401,226 seats in December 2022 compared to last month, the Kuala Lumpur–Singapore Changi route will continue to be the world’s busiest..
According to the most recent information on the Dubai Airports website, the total number of destinations directly served by air carriers operating out of the DXB as of the beginning of December reached 213 destinations in 96 countries across the six continents.
The latest data shows that the number of airports served by the DXB has increased by 113 percent and has returned to its pre-pandemic levels.
The number of international airlines operating out of the DXB continues to rise. Since the beginning of the pandemic, both Emirates and Etihad Airways have added new destinations to their global network and resumed service to previously suspended cities across all six continents.
Dubai was among the first places to welcome visitors following the pandemic, which sped up the recovery of the aviation industry. Emirates Airlines and flydubai, two local airlines, grew as a result, allowing them to resume their rapid expansion following the pandemic. They currently offer hundreds of routes across every continent.