The UAE is among the top five most connected countries in the world according to the Global Connectedness Index 2020 by DHL and the NYU Stern School of Business. It had been ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa. The UAE rose five places on the index to rank fifth in the world after The Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland and Belgium. The country ranks 28th for visa openness on the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index.

Of the seven airports across the country, the ones in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah stand out in terms of their international connections and the facilities they offer.

Dubai International Airport has led the world with the most international travellers for seven years in a row, handling about 90 million passengers a year. It is also the world’s third-biggest airport by overall passenger numbers (including domestic passengers) after Atlanta and Beijing.

The country is investing a further Dh85 billion in airport development and expansion projects that will see its airports reach a combined capacity of handling more than 300 million passengers a year.

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways serves 70 destinations in 43 countries

Before the pandemic halted commercial passenger flights, Dubai’s Emirates operated flights to 161 destinations in 85 countries across six continents.

Dubai’s budget airline flydubai flies to over 90 destinations globally while Sharjah’s Air Arabia serves 62 destinations in 27 countries.

The country’s four national carriers, with a combined fleet size of over 500 aircraft, serve more than 75 million passengers annually now.