The performance of Dubai’s two airports in the first quarter of 2017 compared with the same period last year appears to indicate the airport operator’s forecast for passenger traffic to reach more than 90 million in 2017 is achievable.

According to Dubai Airports, which operates both airports, passenger traffic at Dubai International grew by 7.4 per cent from January to March, despite the Easter holidays having fallen in April this year. The much smaller Al-Maktoum International saw a 29.5 per cent increase in passenger traffic during the same period.

Dubai International, the world’s largest airport in terms of international passenger traffic since 2014, is aiming to increase passenger throughput by 6 per cent, from 83.6 million in 2016 to 89 million this year. Al-Maktoum International, which processed more than 850,600 passengers in 2016, expects to increase its traffic to 1.1 million.

It is noteworthy that passenger traffic at Dubai International slowed to 7 per cent in 2016, following double-digit compounded average growths annually between 2010 and 2015. Slower growth in 2016 was attributed to general market weakness due to economic and political uncertainty in many parts of the world.

It is likely that meeting or exceeding the forecast for 2017 will influence the current pace at which expansion and operational enhancements are being undertaken at both airports.

Dubai International’s current capacity stands at 92.5 million passengers annually, compared with 5 million at the existing terminal in Al-Maktoum International.

However, expansion work at the passenger terminal building in the Al-Maktoum airport, which is designed to increase its capacity to 26 million, is expected to be completed in 2018.

With no room left for physical expansion at Dubai International, the government has launched a $1.4bn operational enhancement programme, which will take capacity from 92.5 million to 110 million passengers annually. Called Dubai Plus, the programme aims to enable the airport to handle increased traffic until work on the first phase of the $33bn expansion of Al-Maktoum International is completed in 2025.

Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) awarded several infrastructure-related contracts for the expansion of Al-Maktoum International in 2016. Several packages are under procurement, including the baggage-handling system (BHS), for which an award is imminent, as well as the tunnel that will be utilised by the BHS.