Preliminary data indicates that Dubai International Airport is on track to maintain its position as the world's busiest airport for international passenger traffic in 2025, for the 12th consecutive year. This follows the airport's strong growth in international travel throughout the previous year compared to its counterparts on the list of the world's largest airports, according to data monitored by 'Emirates Today'. Dubai Airports Corporation expects the total annual passenger traffic for the past year (2025) to exceed 95 million passengers, the highest number in the airport's 65-year history, after Dubai International achieved record passenger growth in the first nine months of 2025, receiving 70.1 million passengers. Dubai Airports is expected to release the full-year 2025 figures next February. The preliminary data shows Dubai International leading the world in passenger traffic after major international airports announced their domestic and international passenger numbers for 2025. The UK's Heathrow Airport (ranked second by Airports Council International) handled around 80 million international passengers in 2025, while Incheon Airport in Seoul (ranked third) handled about 74 million. Meanwhile, Singapore Airport recorded around 70 million international passengers in 2025, and Amsterdam Airport around 69.5 million, compared to 66.7 million for Istanbul Airport and 66 million for Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport between January and November 2025 (December data has not been announced yet), and approximately 65.61 and 61 million international passengers for Frankfurt and Hong Kong airports in 2025 as a whole. According to the data, Dubai International is set to top the list of the world's largest airports in international passenger traffic by a significant margin compared to Heathrow Airport, ranked second, and other major airports in the annual list expected to be released by the Airports Council International in the coming period. Dubai International continued to break its own quarterly passenger traffic records in its 65-year history during the third quarter of 2025, receiving 24.2 million passengers between July and September, a 1.9% increase compared to 2024. This exceptional performance in the third quarter contributed to raising the total number of passengers in the first nine months to 70.1 million, an increase of 2.1% over the same period in 2024. Dubai International Airport recorded its highest monthly passenger traffic in history in December 2025, with the number of passengers passing through the airport reaching around 8.8 million, compared to 8.3 million in December 2024. It is worth noting that Dubai International Airport overtook its British counterpart, Heathrow, in international passenger numbers for the first time in history in 2014, ending the UK airport's reign at the top since the beginning of commercial air travel worldwide. Dubai Airports expects the total annual passenger traffic to exceed 95 million passengers in 2025, the highest number in the airport's 65-year history.
