The achievement is yet another indication that Dubai refuses to rest on its laurels and consistently follows up every feat with another one.

Constant upgradation and innovative initiatives, coupled with service par excellence by the employees are paying rich dividends. As well as record traffic numbers, DXB enjoyed a banner year for customer service with shorter wait times and new retail and food and beverage offerings.

Figures speak volumes about the success story. The total number of passengers using the airport last year reached 89,149,387, up one per cent from 2017. The airport was able to exceed 8 million passengers twice over the past year in July, reaching 2.8 million passengers, and 8.4 million passengers in August, making the latter the busiest month in DXB’s 58-year history.

The development of Dubai into a global centre for trade, tourism and commerce enabled by world-leading aviation sector and top-flight airport infrastructure means that the Emirate has become a never-miss destination for world travellers.

Owing to proximity in terms of distance as well as historically-close relations, India continued to hold to its position as DXB’s top destination country by passenger numbers, with traffic for the year reaching 12,279,485 – propelled mainly by top city destinations Mumbai, Delhi and Cochin. Saudi Arabia was number two on the list with 6,471,142 customers, followed closely by the United Kingdom with 6,284,771 customers.

In December, Dubai International Airport received its billionth passenger. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, echoed the joy of the entire nation when he tweeted, “When Dubai is an airport for a billion people, we know we have reached a new station. We started a different journey. And we took off towards a more beautiful future. A billion people have taken Dubai to their destination. A billion people, we were part of their story. We are the world’s airport and its destination and heart.”

Well, nothing puts DXB’s growth in perspective more than the fact that the airport took 51 years – from September 30, 1960 to December 31, 2011 – to reach its 500 millionth passenger but clocked the remaining 500 million in just seven years.