Dubai-based carrier Emirates has issued an unprecedented travel advisory after forecasting more than 2.3 million outbound passengers and 2.5 million arrivals at Dubai International Airport (DXB) during December 2025. The airline will add extra staff, open all biometric e-gates and advise passengers to arrive “at least three hours” before departure.
Peak traffic is being driven by the UAE’s high tourism season, a packed calendar of events (including the Dubai Shopping Festival and COP-like climate gatherings) and an extended school break following the Knowledge and Human Development Authority’s updated academic calendar. Weekends of 12-14 and 19-21 December are expected to be the busiest.
![Emirates warns of record December rush at DXB—2.3 m departures in four weeks]()
Emirates is pushing travellers toward off-airport check-in options: its DIFC City Check-In store, home baggage-pickup, and new self-service kiosks that issue biometric-linked boarding passes. Families are urged to register for Smart Gate use in advance to avoid passport queues, and US-bound flyers must clear an additional TSA security interview—another reason to arrive early.
For corporate mobility managers the advisory is more than a courtesy note; missed connections could derail tightly-packed itineraries at the end of the financial year. Companies should retime flight bookings outside weekend peaks, secure fast-track services for VIPs, and remind staff that road traffic around DXB will also swell.
The alert follows a wider pattern of Gulf hub congestion. Etihad and Qatar Airways issued similar, although smaller-scale, advisories for Abu Dhabi and Doha. The difference: Dubai’s numbers dwarf regional peers, underscoring the emirate’s continued dominance in long-haul connectivity.
Peak traffic is being driven by the UAE’s high tourism season, a packed calendar of events (including the Dubai Shopping Festival and COP-like climate gatherings) and an extended school break following the Knowledge and Human Development Authority’s updated academic calendar. Weekends of 12-14 and 19-21 December are expected to be the busiest.
Emirates is pushing travellers toward off-airport check-in options: its DIFC City Check-In store, home baggage-pickup, and new self-service kiosks that issue biometric-linked boarding passes. Families are urged to register for Smart Gate use in advance to avoid passport queues, and US-bound flyers must clear an additional TSA security interview—another reason to arrive early.
For corporate mobility managers the advisory is more than a courtesy note; missed connections could derail tightly-packed itineraries at the end of the financial year. Companies should retime flight bookings outside weekend peaks, secure fast-track services for VIPs, and remind staff that road traffic around DXB will also swell.
The alert follows a wider pattern of Gulf hub congestion. Etihad and Qatar Airways issued similar, although smaller-scale, advisories for Abu Dhabi and Doha. The difference: Dubai’s numbers dwarf regional peers, underscoring the emirate’s continued dominance in long-haul connectivity.
