Dubai: Dubai International Airport celebrates its 66th anniversary today, September 30, marking an extraordinary journey that has transformed Dubai from a modest airport into one of the world's leading aviation hubs.
From a compact 1,800-meter-long sand runway and a small terminal building that opened in 1960, the airport has embarked on continuous expansion, propelling it to the forefront of global airports in terms of international passenger traffic. The number of passengers who have passed through its gates, since its opening, has exceeded 1.5 billion in 2026.
The airport’s growth was not separate from the economic and urban transformation that Dubai witnessed, as every expansion in air traffic coincided with the expansion of the trade, tourism and investment network, so that the facility, which started with limited capabilities, turned into a global hub linking Dubai to hundreds of destinations and markets around the world.
The beginning... a sandy runway
The story of modern Dubai Airport began in 1959, when the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum ordered the construction of a new airport for the emirate. When it opened on September 30, 1960, it included an 1,800-meter runway made of compacted sand, an aircraft apron, a small passenger terminal, and a fire station.
The runway was initially designed to accommodate small aircraft, before the infrastructure gradually expanded to meet the growing demand for air travel.
Dubai had been familiar with aviation for years before the airport was built, with air traffic in the emirate comprising mostly seaplanes, before scheduled air services developed and the need arose for a facility more capable of accommodating the anticipated growth.
In May 1965, the new asphalt runway, nearly 2,800 meters long, entered service, opening the way for larger aircraft and jetliners. This phase saw the arrival of Comet aircraft belonging to Middle East Airlines and Kuwait Airways, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Dubai Airport.
Here emerged one of the most important turning points in the history of the airport, as it was no longer just a facility to serve limited air traffic, but rather began to transform into infrastructure capable of keeping pace with the growth of Dubai and its expanding connection with the world.
The intersection between East and West
As Dubai’s economic growth accelerated during the 1970s and 1980s, the airport’s facilities expanded, and its capacity to receive aircraft and flights increased, in parallel with the emirate’s growing status as a centre for trade and re-export.
With the establishment of Emirates airline in 1985, the airport entered a new phase of growth, as the carrier began building a wide international network from Dubai, while flydubai, since commencing operations in 2009, has strengthened connectivity with regional and international markets.
The opening of Terminal 3 in 2008, dedicated to Emirates, marked another major milestone in the airport's expansion and solidified its ability to handle the rapid growth in passenger and aircraft traffic.
This expansion was not just an increase in space and facilities, but coincided with the transformation of the airport's business model itself - from a facility that receives and departs flights, to a global hub for connecting markets.
Seizing the top spot among international airports
Dubai International Airport marked a global turning point in 2014, when it became the world’s busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic, after the number of passengers reached 70.4 million.
Since then, DXB has maintained its leading position in global airport rankings for international passenger traffic. In 2024, the airport celebrated a full decade at the top of this ranking, having recorded 92.3 million passengers, a 6.1% increase over 2023.
During the same decade, the airport handled more than 700 million passengers on more than 3.3 million flights.
Then came 2025, setting a new record with 95.2 million passengers, a 3.1% increase compared to 2024, marking its busiest year ever and the highest annual international passenger traffic ever recorded by any airport worldwide. Aircraft movements also reached approximately 454,800 during the year.
A milestone of 1.5 billion passengers
Dubai Airport's figures are no longer measured in millions of passengers annually, but now reflect the accumulation of decades of air traffic.
When celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2020, DXB had handled 1.115 billion passengers since its opening, on board more than 7.47 million flights, connecting more than 240 destinations in 95 countries.
By September 2026, the cumulative number had exceeded 1.5 billion passengers since the airport opened, according to an announcement by Dubai Airports during a media briefing for the Dubai government.
Thus, the airport added about 385 million passengers to its tally in just six years, despite the challenges that the aviation industry has faced in recent years.
These figures reveal a remarkable acceleration in growth. The airport needed 51 years to reach its first 500 million passengers, while it only needed seven years to reach its first billion, according to the historical sequence of Dubai airports.
2026: Growth despite regional challenges
DXB continued its performance during 2026, despite the difficult operating conditions that affected regional air traffic during the first half of the year.
The airport welcomed 31.5 million passengers during the first six months of 2026, with traffic gradually improving during the second quarter as airlines returned to some of their capacity. Monthly traffic increased from 3.5 million passengers in April to 4.5 million in May, and then to 5 million in June.
According to statements made by Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths in September, the airport is projected to receive around 70 million passengers during 2026, with the potential to reach 100 million passengers annually by the end of 2027, as airlines restore their operational capabilities.
An economic engine that transcends borders
The importance of Dubai Airport is no longer limited to passenger traffic alone, but has extended to various aspects of the emirate’s economy.
A study by Oxford Economics, commissioned by the Emirates Group and Dubai Airports, revealed that the aviation sector contributed 27% to Dubai’s GDP in 2023, generating AED 137 billion in total added value and supporting 631,000 jobs.
The study projects that the contribution of aviation-related activities will rise to AED 196 billion by 2030, equivalent to 32% of Dubai’s projected GDP at 2023 prices, with the number of jobs in the sector increasing to 816,000, a rise of 185,000 compared to 2023.
In this sense, the airport has become part of a broader economic system, encompassing aviation, tourism, trade, logistics and investment, and not merely a facility for the transit of passengers.
Shipping: Another arm of global connectivity
Air freight is a key component of Dubai’s logistics system, benefiting from the emirate’s location, network of ports and free zones, and integrated transport infrastructure.
In 2024, DXB handled approximately 2.2 million tons of air freight, an increase of 20.5% compared to 1.8 million tons in 2023.
These figures reflect Dubai’s role in the movement of high-value goods and time-sensitive shipments, as well as the integration of air, sea and land transport systems that support trade and re-export.
Travel technology
Dubai Airport is entering a different phase of development today, in which technology has become an essential part of designing the travel experience, from arrival procedures to departure from the airport.
During the first half of 2026, more than 9.4 million passengers benefited from the smart travel system at Dubai airports, which includes smart gates and the ‘Red Carpet’ service.
Of this total, approximately 9.02 million travellers completed their procedures through smart gates, while more than 439,000 travellers used the Red Carpet service.
The service, supported by artificial intelligence and biometric technologies, has contributed to reducing the average processing time for crossing procedures from 12.5 seconds to 3.4 seconds, while the system can process up to 10 travellers at the same time.
Thus, technology in DXB moves from being merely a tool to speed up procedures, to an element that reshapes the traveler’s journey, by reducing stop-and-go points and reliance on paper documents, and promoting the use of biometric identity.
Building the next phase
As Dubai International Airport celebrates 66 years since its opening, Dubai is moving towards building the next phase of its aviation system through Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport.
In 2024, Dubai approved the second phase of the airport expansion project, with investments of $35 billion, aiming to reach a capacity of 150 million passengers annually over the next decade, before reaching more than 260 million passengers and 12 million tons of cargo annually in the final phase.
The final plans for the airport include five runways, four concourse buildings, and more than 400 aircraft gates, along with an automated passenger transport system and an integrated transport system linking the airport to road, metro and air transport networks within the city.
In June 2026, the Dubai government confirmed the continued implementation of the project's key work packages, including the West Terminal, Concourse 4, the automated passenger transport system, and the baggage handling system, confirming the project's transition from the planning stage to advanced implementation phases.
From a 1,800-metre sand runway in 1960 to an airport that welcomed 95.2 million passengers in a single year, the story of Dubai Airport seems to be a direct reflection of the transformation story of the emirate itself.
The airport not only kept pace with Dubai’s growth, but became one of its main drivers, as the expansion of the aviation network contributed to boosting tourism, trade and investment, while economic growth led to increased demand for travel and connected Dubai to more markets.
66 years after its opening, the story of DXB does not stop at the record number of 95.2 million passengers, or the cumulative 1.5 billion passenger mark, but moves to a new stage, the title of which is technology, capacity and multimodal connectivity, as Al Maktoum Airport prepares to carry the largest part of future growth.
Thus, the facility, which began as a sand runway, has transformed into one of the most important gateways to the global economy, as Dubai now prepares to write the next chapter in the story of aviation through a new airport, designed to accommodate growth over the coming decades.
Historical milestones
1960: The airport officially opened on September 30 with a sand runway and a small terminal building.
1965: The first asphalt runway opened, enabling scheduled overnight flights.
1983: Dubai Duty Free opened.
1985: Emirates airline was launched, becoming the main carrier at Dubai Airport.
1988: Passenger traffic rose to 4.3 million.
1998: Passenger traffic exceeded 9.7 million, and Terminal 2 opened.
2000: Concourse C opened, increasing capacity to 23 million passengers annually.
2008: Terminal 3 opened, increasing capacity to 60 million passengers annually.
2009: Passenger traffic exceeded 40.9 million, and flydubai began operations.
2013: Concourse A, dedicated to A380 aircraft, opened.
2014: Passenger traffic reached 70.4 million, making it the world's busiest airport.
2018: The airport welcomed its one billionth international passenger since opening.
2019: 86.4 million passengers recorded, maintaining its global leadership position.
2025: 95.2 million passengers recorded, the highest annual traffic in the airport's history.
2026: Total passengers since opening exceeded 1.5 billion.