Dubai International has given its billionth visitor a warm welcome after his arrival this morning.

Nine-year-old Arjun and his family arrived from Orlando, Florida, on Emirates flight EK220.

At a celebration held in DXB earlier, Arjun along with his mother Ramya, father Venkatesh and thirteen-year-old brother Varun, were personally greeted by sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Airports, and warmly welcomed on this, their first visit to Dubai.

They were also delighted with details of an unforgettable and surprising set of experiences that showcase Dubai’s longstanding reputation for excitement, luxury and modern Arabic hospitality, organised for the next few days of their trip.

At the airport this afternoon, sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: “This landmark billionth passenger achievement is the result of team work and collaboration, and special thanks goes out to each and every member of the airport community who have played a role in this journey.”

The billionth customer is arguably the most significant in a long litany of achievements since the airport first opened in September 30th, 1960 with a tiny terminal building and a runway of compacted sand.

Today the hub is widely considered a benchmark for its quality infrastructure, passenger and cargo volumes and high service levels despite unrelenting growth.

DXB handles an average of 7.5 million customers every month and this year broke its own traffic record thrice with more than 8.3 million customers in a month.

To pick the lucky passenger, Dubai Airports used its passenger traffic forecast to narrow down the selection to a specific flight and approached Emirates to make a random selection.

During their stay, Arjun and his family will be visiting some of the top Dubai experiences and treated like superstars all the way.

The family will stay at the iconic Atlantis Hotel and dine at the award-winning restaurants there and even spend a day exploring the Aquaventure water park.

A visit to the tallest building in the world – the Burj Khalifa - for an access all areas tour, followed by a personal shopping experience at The Dubai Mall.

Then a full day with Arabian Adventures exploring the more traditional side of Dubai, around the Al Fahidi Historical neighbourhood and then into the desert for a dune drive and sunset dinner.