Dubai Airports welcomes the winter travel season with a bang! Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International (DWC) welcome new airlines and expand connectivity to meet rising seasonal travel demand. Truly, flying high!
DXB’s winter season traffic accounts for 55% of passenger demand, thanks to the UAE's cooler climate and the many winter activities the region has to offer.
In terms of flight frequencies, Europe and Central Asia are driving considerable uplift this winter. FlyArystan joined the network on 29 November with twice-weekly flights from the Kazakh city of Aktau, while Austrian Airlines returned on 2 December with five weekly services from Vienna.
The capacity from European carriers is also rising. Virgin Atlantic has deployed the A350-1000 on its Dubai route, lifting seat capacity by 52%, and British Airways has restored A380 services from London Heathrow. Together, these moves signal robust confidence from European markets heading into the festive season.
In addition, seasonal demand from South Asia and the wider Middle East is also deepening DXB’s connectivity. Varesh Airline introduced twice-weekly flights from Sari in Iran on 30 October, and Fly Jinnah added twice-weekly services from Lahore on 2 November, reinforcing strong point-to-point traffic from regional hubs where winter travel to and from Dubai typically intensifies.
However, one of the sharpest rises this season comes from Saudi Arabia. which is already DXB’s second-largest country market, at 7.8% of total passengers as of October 2025. Combined traffic from Saudi Arabia reached 6.3 million across DXB and DWC.
DWC’s role in Dubai’s wider aviation landscape is becoming more visible with many airlines now taking advantage of its readily available capacity and using it to complement existing DXB services. The airport welcomed 1.1 million guests in the first 10 months of the year. Eurowings contributes significantly to this growth with a new daily DXB service from Stuttgart, a three-times-a-week Düsseldorf service at DWC, and increased frequencies to Berlin, Cologne, and Hannover, including its Premium Bizclass on the Berlin route.
Robert Whitehouse, Vice President of Research at Dubai Airports, said “Winter is always a pivotal period for Dubai’s aviation sector, and the breadth of this season’s network shows how strongly demand continues to evolve. The growth in direct traffic across both of our airports reflects a balanced mix of inbound visitors, outbound travel from residents, and the many people choosing to make Dubai their home. It is a reminder that our connectivity is not only expanding but becoming more diverse and resilient.”