UAE airports cross one billion passengers in a decade

The UAE’s aviation sector has soared to new heights, with more than one billion passengers passing through the country’s airports between 2015 and 2024.

That’s according to new figures released by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, which also revealed more than 6.4 million aircraft movements during the same period.

The UAE now ranks first globally in air transport quality and is among the top ten in five other key aviation indicators, highlighting the country’s global competitiveness and the success of its forward-looking strategies.

Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, and Chairman of the General Civil Aviation Authority, credited the leadership’s vision and national initiatives for the sector’s continued success.

Passenger traffic rose from nearly 115 million in 2015 to almost 148 million in 2024, while total aircraft movements exceeded 800,000 by the end of 2024.