RIYADH: With Dubai set to host major events such as the next UN Climate Change Conference, Dubai International Airport expects 78 million travelers to pass through its gates in 2023 after passenger traffic more than doubled in the past year. One of the biggest international travel hubs, DXB handled 66 million passengers in 2022, a year-on-year growth of 127 percent, propelled by strong volumes in the fourth quarter of the year, the airport operator said in a statement. During this period, the airport recorded 19.72 million passengers, up 67 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2021, making it the busiest quarter since 2019. “With DXB forecast to welcome 78 million passengers this year, and Dubai hosting major international events including the Dubai Airshow and COP28, it will be another year of new challenges and opportunities and we are ready for them,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO, DXB. December was the busiest month of the year with 7.1 million passengers, the first time since January 2020 that DXB’s monthly traffic hit the 7 million mark. India was the top destination country in terms of traffic volume for DXB in 2022 as it received 9.8 million passengers. Saudi Arabia came second with 4.9 million passengers followed by the UK with 4.6 million passengers and Pakistan with 3.7 million passengers. The number of Russians traveling through DXB came in at 1.9 million as Emirates and Fly Dubai added flights to Russian cities since the Ukraine conflict began early last year. London was the top destination city by traffic with 3 million passengers, followed by Riyadh with 2 million passengers and Mumbai with 1.9 million passengers. Total flight movements at DXB totaled 96,701 during the fourth quarter of 2022 bringing the annual flight movements to 343,339, a year-on-year growth of 47 percent. The average number of passengers per flight reached 204, up 33 percent year-on-year. However, cargo volumes continued to contract with 420,125 tons recorded in the fourth quarter, down 31.7 percent compared to 614,834 tons in the fourth of 2021. DXB handled 1.7 million tons of cargo during 2022, a drop of 25.5 percent resulting from the moving of all major freight operators back to Dubai World Central and the return of pax-freighter aircraft back to passenger operations during the year.