Dubai, the world's busiest airport for international passengers before the Covid-19 pandemic, had 18,455,938 visitors in the three months to September, the biggest number since 17.8 million in the first quarter of 2020.

"The growth in passenger traffic has been terrific throughout the year and continues to exceed our expectations by a margin," Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said.

Passenger forecasts have now been raised to 64.3 million for 2022 with "the prospects of a stronger surge in the offing" in the final quarter, the statement said.

The airport had 46.3 million passengers from January to September, up 167.6 percent year-on-year and 72 percent of the number recorded in the same period of 2019.