It appears to be just a matter of time before London's Heathrow Airport loses its status as the world's busiest aviation hub.

New figures compiled by Airports Council International have shown that Dubai International Airport has risen into second place in the global standings, overtaking Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport in the process.

More than 57 million people passed through the United Arab Emirates-based facility in 2012 and this is expected to rise to 66 million in 2013.

Around 70 million passengers were accommodated at Heathrow last year, but there are no immediate plans to extend the complex, whereas Dubai's main airport will continue to grow throughout the rest of this decade.

Chief executive officer at Dubai Airports - the organisation that runs Dubai International - Paul Griffiths said: "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."