The United Arab Emirates reported a large increase in passenger traffic at its airports Tuesday. The promising news comes as airlines in Saudi Arabia seek to compete with Emirates and Etihad.
The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority said that 31,862,635 passengers traveled through the country’s airports during the first quarter of 2023. The count marks an increase of 56.3% from the same period in 2022, the official Emirates News Agency reported.
Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, the director-generation of the authority, attributed the increase to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, Emirati airlines adding new destinations and the success of the budget airlines Air Arabia, flydubai and Wizz Air.
Relatedly, Dubai’s airport received more traffic in 2022 due to an increase in passengers from Russia, Agence France-Presse reported in February.
