Dubai International 'is the world's second-busiest airport'

Dubai International Airport has been officially recognised as the second-busiest aviation hub on the planet.The facility handled a record 57.6 million passengers in 2012 and it continued to grow during the first three months of 2013. Indeed, 10.6 million travellers landed in the emirate in January and February alone, which was a 13 per cent improvement on the corresponding period in 2012.With 66 million people expected to use the airport by the end of this year, it is no surprise to see Dubai International climb above Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris in the global standings.Figures provided by Airports Council International confirmed that Dubai's main air travel complex is now second only to London's Heathrow. It had started the year in fourth place, but has already overtaken Hong Kong International Airport.Chief executive officer of Dubai Airports Paul Griffiths said it is "extremely gratifying" to jump two places so quickly."It is a clear signal that more people are choosing Dubai as their preferred hub not only for its extensive global network but the superb facilities on the ground too," he remarked.Mr Griffiths also believes it is just a matter of time before Dubai usurps Heathrow at the top of the rankings, as the English aviation facility is operating close to full capacity and there are no plans in place as yet to expand the airport.The same cannot be said of Dubai International, which has been transformed in the past few years and the overall annual capacity has now gone up to 75 million. This is predicted to rise to around 90 million in the not-too-distant future."Given our surging growth rate and London Heathrow's capacity constraints we are well placed to overtake them as the world's busiest airport for international traffic by 2015," Mr Griffiths added.Of course, not everybody who travels to Dubai is a holidaymaker and there has been a sharp upturn in the number of businesspeople and investors visiting this part of the Gulf in recent years.