Dubai Airport’s passenger numbers plunged 20% between January to March

Number of passengers going through Dubai International Airport, one of the largest travel hubs, fell by a fifth in the first three months of 2020.

The pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to international travel as countries around the world imposed strict lockdown measures and some of them shut off their borders to non-resident visitors.

Aircraft movements through Dubai dropped 18.7 percent from a year ago due to flight suspensions from select hotspots that began in February before the United Arab Emirates announced the complete halting of passenger flights in late March. Only emergency repatriation flights allowing people to return to their home countries have permission to operate.