Dubai airport chief says passengers top pre-pandemic level

MALAK HARB
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The CEO of Dubai International Airport says passenger numbers for the third quarter of 2022 have surpassed pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Paul Griffiths, who oversees the world’s busiest airport, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the annual forecast at the airport is more than 64 million. The airport saw 18.5 million passengers in the third quarter of this year, up from 17.8 million during the first quarter of 2020 — prior to and at the dawn of the pandemic. Most of the growth, he said, comes from the traditional markets of India, UK, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Griffiths added that the end of COVID-19 testing requirements and people’s eagerness to travel have contributed to the increase.