DUBAI: Dubai International Airport (DXB) has been named the world’s busiest international airport in May, as travelers gradually return to the skies.

The airport’s scheduled capacity was 1,895,866 in May, according to aviation intelligence firm OAG, despite many of its source markets being closed to international travelers.

It kicked out London Heathrow from the top spot, with the UK airport plummeting to seventh place at capacity of 747,420.

Two other regional airports dominated the list, with Istanbul Ataturk coming in second at around 1.3 million capacity, followed by Doha International Airport at 1.24 million.

The rankings are based on scheduled capacity compared to the same month in 2019, pre-pandemic.

Four Middle East air routes were the busiest in May, according to OAG data, three of which connect Cairo to Jeddah, Riyadh and Dubai.

Within Saudi Arabia, the Jeddah-Riyadh route was one of the busiest in May with 547,936 capacity.