Spring break travel: Emirates expects more than 700,000 passengers at Dubai Airport

Another 620,000 people will fly into Dubai, many of them to visit Expo 2020 Dubai before it ends on March 31

Emirates is expecting a rush of travellers over the next two weekends as people fly off for spring break. Photo: Emirates

There are some busy weekends coming up at Dubai International Airport as holidaymakers get set to head off on spring break travels.

Emirates says it expects more than 700,000 passengers to depart from DXB’s Terminal 3 over the next two weekends.

The airline is also anticipating that the airport will be busy with arriving travellers, with about 620,000 passengers set to fly into Dubai over the same time frame.

The recent lifting of Covid-19 related travel restrictions in 16 countries across Emirates' network means that travel is now easier than it has been to many destinations since the start of the global pandemic.

Travellers arrive with their luggage outside Dubai International Airport on February 21, 2022. AFP

Restrictions have recently been eased in the UK, Portugal, Italy, Jordan, Mauritius, Maldives, Austria, Bahrain, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Switzerland.

Several of these destinations no longer require travellers to present medical documents before boarding flights and others have dropped lengthy passenger locator form requirements. This should mean a swifter check-in process with Emirates.

Emirates urges travellers to get to the airport early

Additional self-service check-in and bag drop stations at Dubai's Terminal 3 aim to reduce waiting times during busy periods. Photo: Emirates

However, passengers leaving from Terminal 3 should still aim to get to the airport at least three hours before their flight's departure time, says Emirates.

The airline also advises people to double-check the restrictions in place for each destination. Many countries require travellers to follow restrictions and Emirates urges travellers to check that they have all the necessary documents before heading to the airport to ensure a smooth check-in experience.

Self check-in desks and bag drop kiosks are in operation at Terminal 3 and travellers can use these to reduce waiting times.

After check-in, Emirates says that travellers should be at their gate at least 45 minutes before their flights, when boarding will commence.

Emirates is also expecting more than 600,000 arriving travellers, many of them who will be hoping to visit Expo 2020 before it ends. AFP

Gates open 90 minutes before departure time and close 20 minutes before flights are due to leave. Late travellers will not be accepted on to Emirates flights if they arrive after this time, even if they have successfully checked-in.

Spring break and Easter holidays in the UK, the US, Canada and several other countries are also taking place over the next two weeks. Emirates is expecting arriving flights to be busy as people fly to Dubai to spend their holidays in the sunshine, and to experience Expo 2020 before it ends on Thursday, March 31.