Air traffic in UAE - statistics & facts

The United Arab Emirates’ aviation industry, featuring major carriers, is renowned for its advanced infrastructure and global connectivity through airports like Dubai International and Abu Dhabi International. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation industry worldwide, aviation in the UAE is witnessing a gradual recovery in passenger demand, with more than 280 thousand flights arriving to the UAE’s airports in 2022, expecting to restore passenger confidence and sustain the nation's position as a crucial global aviation hub.

UAE aviation hubs

Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways, flydubai, and Air Arabia are the four main passenger airlines operating in the UAE.  When it comes to the number of aircraft, destinations covered, and revenue, Emirates is the largest full-service airline in the country. The UAE has seven international airports, including Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) and Dubai International Airport (DXB). DXB is one of the busiest and largest airports worldwide, handling over 86 million passengers annually before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Abu Dhabi developed partnerships to launch low-cost carriers such as Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and Air Arabia, the latter of which generated more than five billion Emirati dirhams in revenue in 2021. Between 2011 and 2022, Air Arabia’s fleet size doubled due to its rising popularity.

UAE aviation outlook

Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai is one of many airport building and extension projects in which the UAE government significantly invested. Currently, Al Maktoum International Airport handles only a portion of Dubai's passenger traffic. When the first phase of the expansion opens in 2030, Al Maktoum International Airport is anticipated to be bigger than Dubai International Airport and eventually serve as the new base of Emirates Airlines. However, airports were under pressure to save costs and postpone major capital investments following the COVID-19 outbreak, which can result in project delays.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Salma Saleh, Jan 10, 2024

Key insights

Annual growth in air traffic passenger demand
64.2%
Net loss of airlines worldwide
9.7bn USD
Leading airline group worldwide based on revenue 2020
Lufthansa Group
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Aircraft movements in the United Arab Emirates in 2022, by emirate (in 1,000s)

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Aircraft movements UAE 2022, by emirate

Number of aircraft arrivals in the United Arab Emirates from 2014 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

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Total number of aircraft arrivals UAE 2014-2022

Number of aircraft arrivals in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates from 2014 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

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Number of aircraft arrivals Dubai UAE 2014-2022

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