Emirates announced that it expects more than 200,000 passengers to travel through Dubai International Airport (DXB) during the Christmas holiday period. The airline anticipated the higher passenger demand as residents and citizens of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) head home or abroad, showed the Emirates’ latest booking figures.

In a statement released on December 8, 2020, Emirates expects that during the period between December 8 and December 21, 2020, more than 200,000 passengers would arrive at DXB airport on the carrier’s flights. The airline indicated that booking figures showed that the highest passenger traffic was expected to appear on December 11, 2020. 

Emirates also reminded its passengers to add some extra time to their journey in order to avoid delays. The airline outlined that passengers who would wish to complete their check-in physically at the airport before the departure, would have to present themselves not less than 60 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Those passengers who will not follow Emirate’s recommendations will lose the ability to board the aircraft, the airline announced in the statement.

In addition, to make the check-in process smoother, the carrier encouraged its customers to use Emirates’ biometric path for a contactless journey from specific check-in desks in Terminal 3.

The surge in demand for air travel during the Christmas holiday season seems like a breeze of positivity during the COVID-19 downturn. Furthermore, Emirates’ President Tim Clark indicated that he expected the airline to see major growth in demand for travel during Q1 or H1 2022, after the vaccine is distributed worldwide. The Dubai-based airline expects to return to profitability in 2022.