UAE has grown exponentially since 1971, attracting the entire world to its sandy shores as a land of opportunity. Dubai has been one such city that has grown from a small fishing settlement to a thriving cosmopolitan and popular tourist destination.
Dubai's pull as a tourist hotspot spurred the expansion of its small airport - that opened in 1960 - over the decades. The Dubai International Airport (DXB) has expanded from a small building in the middle of the desert to one of the largest, most busiest and high-tech airports in the world.
#Dubai Airport... A modest beginning paved the way for taking on the world@DXB pic.twitter.com/ta3GrH4VOu
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) July 7, 2019
The Dubai Media Office tweeted a nostalgic video of DXB, showing snippets of its humble beginnings in 1960 and gradual development over the decades.
The airport first opened in September 30, 1960 with a tiny terminal building and a runway of compacted sand.
At present, DXB passenger numbers have grown at an annual average growth rate of more than 13 per cent - serving more than 88.2 million customers annually, connecting more than 240 destinations across six continents on more than 100 airlines.
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DXB handles an average of 7.5 million customers every month and in 2018 broke its own traffic record thrice with more than 8.3 million customers in a month.
The iconic airport welcomed its one billionth passenger, an young boy, last year.
To give some perspectve, DXB took 51 years - from September 30, 1960 to December 31, 2011 - to reach its 500 millionth passenger but clocked the remaining 500 million in just seven years.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
