Dubai airport sees surge in arrivals bolstered by Russian influx

Dubai's airport welcomed 66 million passengers in 2022, more than double the previous year, it said Tuesday, a spike its chief executive attributed to "huge growth" in Russian travellers.

The main business hub of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates is home to one of the world's busiest airports. The airport "welcomed a total of 66,069,981 passengers during 2022", representing year-on-year growth of 127 per cent, according to a statement.

In 2021, around 29.1 million passengers passed through Dubai, and the authorities had expected 57 million visitors for the year 2022. India, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom topped passenger arrivals but Russia has also "been an important contributor", CEO Paul Griffiths said.

"We've seen a huge growth in the Russian market since the... tensions between Ukraine and Russia" started one year ago, he told AFP. Russians accounted for 1.9 million passengers -- more than double the 912,000 recorded for 2021, Griffiths said. The UAE has maintained a neutral stance towards Russia's war in Ukraine, which is nearing its one-year anniversary.

The Gulf nation has emerged as a top destination for rich Russian emigres fleeing the impact of Western sanctions. Russians were the top buyers of Dubai properties last year, according to brokerage Betterhomes, bolstering the city's record real estate transactions last year.

Dubai's airport was briefly closed to commercial flights from March to July 2020 due to Covid-19. It was one of the first travel hubs to reopen after the pandemic. In 2020, it received only 25.9 million passengers, down from 86 million the previous year.