Majed Al Joker, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Airports, revealed that the operation of the Smart Corridor at Dubai International Airport (DXB) will be completed during the second or third quarter of this year, explaining that this tunnel condenses three procedures into one.

Al Joker explained in statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that after the Smart Corridor is operational, travellers will be able to complete the "check-in" process by finishing passport procedures, obtaining the boarding pass, and then heading directly to the aircraft without stopping anywhere except at security inspection points.

Speaking about the performance of Dubai International Airport during the past year, he said, "We reached 87 million passengers in 2023, an increase of 31 percent compared to the previous year, surpassing the levels of 2019. We received 22.4 million passengers during the last quarter of last year, an increase of 13.8 percent compared to the same period last year, and August was the busiest month of the year with 7.9 million passengers."

He indicated that the performance was strong throughout the year, especially during the second half, which witnessed the handling of more than 45 million passengers, noting that the third quarter was the busiest since 2019, with the handling of 23 million passengers.

The Dubai Airports COO confirmed the operational efficiency of the airport, which processed 77 million bags, an increase of 24 percent, the highest number of bags handled in a historical year, with a success rate reaching 99.8 percent in handling operations.

He also mentioned the waiting times at the security inspection gates, which do not exceed four minutes for about 97 percent of travellers, and passport control takes 7 minutes for more than 95 percent of passengers.

He reported that India topped the destinations in terms of passenger numbers with 11.9 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia with 6.7 million passengers, and then the United Kingdom with 5.9 million passengers, noting the good performance of Pakistan, the United States, Russia, and Germany. He also pointed out that the number of flights exceeded 416 thousand flights, with an annual increase of over 21 percent.

He also highlighted the significant impact of major events and activities in 2023, such as the Dubai Airshow, Climate Conference, Shopping Festival, and Winter Season.

Al Joker emphasised that achieving these exceptional numbers was not the result of the efforts of a single entity but rather due to collaboration and close cooperation with partners inside and outside the airport and the efforts of 24-hour teams to provide a seamless and enjoyable travel experience for all passengers.

Regarding forecasts for this year, the Dubai Airports COO said, "Our current expectations predict reaching 88.8 million passengers in 2024, but we review forecasts periodically and may exceed that. For 2025, we expect to surpass 93 million passengers, and exceed 97 million passengers in 2026."

Regarding reaching 100 million passengers, he indicated that initial forecasts suggest reaching this milestone between 2027 and 2028.

Al Joker mentioned that the development of Dubai Airport is ongoing, pointing out investments previously discussed in the range of AED6 billion to AED10 billion, which will be directed towards improving facilities, developing transit areas to enhance service efficiency, and investing in technology.

He spoke about the passenger flow prediction system, which forecasts the arrival of a certain number of passengers per hour and suggests the necessary human resources and counters to handle the expected number.

He also mentioned that Dubai Airport can accommodate 118 to 120 million passengers.