Dubai International Airport sets a new global record in December 2025, offering 5.5 million scheduled seats and leading all international airports according to OAG data.

The details included good news for travelers through Dubai International Airport, which recorded a new global achievement during December 2025, after the number of scheduled seats on international flights reached about 5.5 million seats in one direction, equivalent to 11 million seats in both directions, thus occupying the first place globally in terms of seat capacity, according to the latest report issued by the international institution “OAG”, which specializes in providing data for airports and airlines.

The data shows that Dubai International Airport maintained its position as the world’s most crowded airport in December 2025, posting a 4% increase in seat capacity compared to the same period last year. This sustained growth comes as airlines continued to expand their operations in response to peak travel demand associated with the holiday and year-end travel season.

Throughout 2025, Dubai International Airport demonstrated consistent and strong performance, with monthly seat capacity exceeding five million seats in almost every month of the year, with the exception of February. The airport recorded 5.3 million seats in January, 4.78 million in February, followed by a steady rise to 5.16 million in March, 5.0 million in April, 5.2 million in May, and 5.1 million in June. Capacity continued to climb in the summer, reaching 5.28 million in July and 5.34 million in August, before stabilizing at 5.1 million in September, increasing again to 5.35 million in October, around 5.3 million in November, and peaking at 5.5 million in December.

According to OAG’s annual data, Dubai International Airport recorded a total of 62.4 million one-way seats during 2025, equivalent to approximately 124.8 million seats in both directions. These figures highlight the airport’s growing importance as a global aviation hub and a key gateway connecting East and West.

In the overall ranking of both international and domestic flights combined, Dubai International Airport secured first place worldwide. It was followed by Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in second place with around 5.2 million seats, Tokyo Haneda Airport in third with 4.6 million seats, Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in fourth with 4.4 million seats, and London Heathrow Airport in fifth place with approximately 4.3 million seats.

When considering international flights only, Dubai also ranked first globally, followed by London Heathrow with around 4.0 million seats, Singapore Changi Airport with approximately 3.74 million, Seoul Incheon with 3.7 million, and Hong Kong International Airport with about 3.5 million seats.

Recent figures released by Dubai Airports further confirm this exceptional performance. During the third quarter of 2025 (from July to September), Dubai International Airport handled 24.2 million passengers, marking a growth rate of 1.9% compared to the previous year. As a result, total passenger traffic for the first nine months of the year reached 70.1 million passengers, a 2.1% increase year-on-year. Meanwhile, passenger traffic for the 12 months ending in September hit a historic high of 93.8 million passengers.

These record-breaking results reinforce Dubai International Airport’s status as a global leader in aviation, connectivity, and passenger movement, playing a vital role in supporting tourism, trade, and economic growth in the UAE.