Dubai (People's Daily) - Dubai International Airport, or DXB for short, handled 31.5 million passengers in the first half of 2026, according to its operator Dubai Airports.
Traffic rose in the second quarter despite "disruption to regional aviation earlier in the year," Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said in an interview with People's Daily.
"We have rebounded incredibly strongly," he said.
Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths (Photo provided to the People's Daily)
Griffiths, who has led Dubai Airports since October 2007, said traffic had recovered to about 80 percent of last year's levels. He expected the airport to handle about 70 million passengers this year, possibly up to 74 million.
DXB has 56 airlines serving 236 airports in 100 countries, up from the "almost 50" airlines and 217 destinations in the published figures, he said.
China set to enter Dubai top 5
China was Dubai airport's eighth-largest country market in 2025, with about 2.5 million passengers passing through the airport, up 17 percent year on year.
Direct traffic from China rose 12 percent to 1.5 million passengers and Griffiths expects China's ranking to rise.
"I think the importance of China as an origin and destination market to and from Dubai will climb from eighth place," he said. "I think we will see China in the top five very shortly."
Huge construction contracts are being awarded to Chinese companies, he said, "and we are buying a huge amount of technology from China."
Chinese airlines and Al Maktoum expansion
Griffiths said Dubai Airports' message to Chinese carriers was straightforward: Operations are normal and the airport is ready for their return to full schedules.
"As soon as Chinese airlines are ready to mount a full schedule, we will be ready to receive them," he said.
In 2025, six airlines linked DXB to 15 Chinese destinations, with China Southern adding Shenyang and Emirates launching Hangzhou service.
Griffiths called the Chinese market "incredibly important" and expects growth through 2027.
China's role is also central to Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai's planned future hub.
Over the previous 15 months, the project generated 10 million work hours, with 17,000 piles placed and 45 million cubic meters of earth moved. About 9,000 people work on site daily, with the workforce expected to reach about 120,000 at its peak.
"China is critical to its delivery," Griffiths said.
Technology and recovery
Cooperation with China extends beyond construction, Griffiths said.
"Technology will drive the future of airports, not just construction," he said, pointing to advances in robotics shown at the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, which he called "incredible."
The airport is working to reduce lines at check-in and security.
"We don’t want anyone to queue anywhere," Griffiths said. "We want it to be a continuous flow through the airport, aided by the great technology that China is developing."
DXB recorded a monthly record of 8.7 million passengers in early 2026. Even during the March-April disruption, it handled about 6 million passengers, 32,000 flights and 213,000 tons of cargo.