28 million passengers targeted this year by Dubai airport: CEO Paul Griffiths

As the coronavirus pandemic eases, Dubai’s state airport operator hopes for a flood of travelers, As demand rebuilds, it is targeting passenger traffic through Dubai International airport to grow 8 per cent to 28 million this year.

As the pandemic took hold, operations were consolidated through Terminals 2 and 3 the previous year while after a 15-month closure Terminal 1 is reopening this Thursday. According to Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports Chief Executive in interaction with Reuters on Sunday, When people get the confidence to travel again, it will be an absolute flood of demand while people think it will trickle back.

Though it was likely to be somewhere between 24.7 million and 34.3 million, the world’s busiest airport could see over 40 million passengers this year if it was really lucky, he said.

While the entire airport can handle up to 100 million passengers, Terminal 1 has an annual passenger capacity of 18 million.  Including those working in retail, hospitality, security, and immigration, it is estimated by Griffiths that the Terminal’s reopening would result in around 3,500 additional jobs at the airport.

Out of the 260 destinations served from Dubai airport, 90 per cent of them could be restored up from 63 per cent today as per Griffiths.

The easing of restrictions from Wednesday on passenger flying from India, South Africa, and Nigeria was announced by Dubai on Saturday. Compared to the first quarter in 2020 before the pandemic halted traffic, the airport handled 5.75 million passengers which is a 67.8 per cent fall in the same quarter.

Around 66 foreign airlines will move from Terminal 2 and 3 to Terminal 1 over two weeks commencing from Thursday.

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