Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Dubai International Airport announced a decrease in passenger traffic in 2020 by 70% compared to 2019, as the number of travelers through the city reached 25.9 million last year, while restrictions imposed globally to contain the Corona pandemic suspended aviation and threatened the industry. Traveling in the biggest crisis I have encountered in history.
During the first quarter of 2020, Dubai Airport witnessed travel by 17.8 million customers, a decrease of 20% compared to the same period in 2019, which led to a significant slowdown in passenger traffic during the second quarter due to the events that followed around the world. According to what Dubai Airport said in a statement, for the first time in 60 years in the history of the world’s busiest international airport, the month of April saw commercial flights almost completely stopped, following the directions of the UAE government to limit the spread of the pandemic.
But despite this, official annual airport traffic data showed a positive second half of the year, as December exceeded industry expectations of 2.19 million passengers.
The UAE authorities officially reopened the country’s airspace on June 23, 2020, and travel to Dubai for tourism was permitted on July 7, 2020.
These regulatory changes in the second half of the year had positive effects on flight movements, as the number of passengers increased significantly until the end of the year.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said that the travel industry experienced the most difficult conditions in its history last year, so these passenger traffic figures reflect this testing environment, but “it also comes with an element of hope and confidence.”
Griffiths added that “restoring travelers’ confidence is an integral part of the recovery in the travel and tourism industry,” stressing that “one of the most important ways to do this is through existing vaccination programs.”
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