Dubai International Airport tops the list of global airports in international capacity for the first quarter of 2025.
Dubai International Airport continues to enhance Its position as one of the most prominent air transport centers In the world, achieving remarkable progress in the capacity of seats available for departures, to occupy the first place globally during the first quarter of2025.
This achievement reflects the airport’s success in expanding its network and increasing the number of its international flights, and confirms Dubai Airport’s great superiority in the global airspace.
Dubai leads the world in international capacity
According to the latest data from airport data analytics firm Cirium Deyo, Dubai International Airport recorded 15.1 million available seats for departures in the first quarter of 2025, outperforming Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by 2%.
This achievement places Dubai at the forefront of airports in terms of international capacity, reflecting the continuous expansion of the international flight network.
Top 10 Airports: Strong Representation of Global Markets
The data showed that the world’s top ten airports account for more than a sixth of global seats, with a significant concentration in domestic markets such as the United States, Japan, China and India.
Although Dubai Airport outperforms these airports in international capacity, Atlanta Airport remains the number one airport in domestic capacity.
Dubai International Airport’s superiority is attributed to a number of key factors, most notably Emirates’ large fleet of Airbus A380 aircraft, which includes 116 aircraft, in addition to its reliance on wide-body aircraft.
According to Simple Flying, the airport offers an average of 278 seats per flight, which places it at the top of the world’s airports for international flights.
Increase in the number of flights and seats
Dubai Airport saw a 2% increase in flights compared to the previous year, helping to cement its position as the world’s number one airport in the first quarter of 2025.
This increase also represents part of a continued 5.4% growth in capacity, reflecting the growing demand for international flights from Dubai.
While Dubai Airport saw a significant increase in seats by 5.4%, Atlanta Airport’s ranking was impacted by a decline in its capacity, with seats down 1.3% in Q1 2025 compared to the pre-pandemic level in 2019.
However, Atlanta is expected to regain its lead in the second quarter of 2025, driven by a significant increase in capacity during the summer.
Dubai continues its expansion by adding 22 new destinations to Dubai International Airport’s network in the first quarter of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024, according to Cirium data.
Among the destinations being reinstated are Adelaide and Lagos, as well as new destinations such as Khost in Afghanistan and Bogota in Colombia, which is one of Emirates’ longest routes.
Emirates and flydubai account for three-quarters of the total capacity of Dubai International Airport, with the two companies adding and operating several new destinations, enhancing Dubai Airport’s leading role in the international aviation sector.
