Dubai International Airport records double-digit growth in air passenger traffic

Dubai International, the world's fourth busiest hub for international passengers and freight, recorded a double-digit growth in monthly passenger traffic for the third consecutive month in March, it's operator Dubai Airports said on Wednesday.

In March, passenger traffic reached 4.85 million, showing an increase of 15.4 percent, compared to 4.20 million in the same month last year. March is the third consecutive month for Dubai International with passenger numbers exceeding the 4.5 million mark, propelling traffic in the first quarter to 14.26 million, a surge of 16.1 per cent over the same period last year.

"New routes and additional frequencies are building on the magnetic attraction of Dubai's hub as a premier leisure and business destination and a convenient connecting point for global travellers," Dubai Airports chief executive officer Paul Griffiths said.

Griffiths looks very optimistic for the second quarter for growth and said: "As growth continues to pick up in almost all markets, both traditional and new, the outlook for the second quarter is similarly positive."

Buoyed by traffic growth in the region following the increasing liberalisation of the Saudi Arabian aviation sector, the AGCC continued to top the list of regions with the largest increase in total passenger numbers (174,537 passengers), followed by Western Europe (109,364), and Africa (90,057).

South America has remained the strongest market in terms of percentage passenger growth (90.9 per cent) as a result of new Emirates services to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, followed by Russia and CIS (47.4 per cent), and Australasia (40.7 per cent). Traffic to and from Africa also rose dramatically (25.7 per cent) due to the addition of Harare and Lusaka to Emirates' route network.

During the month under review, Dubai International recorded a total of 29,276 aircraft movements, up 5.8 per cent compared to 27,674 in March 2011. The year to date movements increased 7.9 per cent to reach 86,014, compared to 79,705 recorded during the first quarter in 2011.

Dubai International handled 186,417 tonnes of cargo in March 2012 compared to 185,921 tonnes in March 2011, up 0.3 per cent. Cargo volumes during the first quarter rose slightly with freight volumes reaching 517,440 tonnes, an increase of 1.1 per cent compared to 512,057 tonnes during the corresponding period in 2011.

Copyright 2012 - Khaleej Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates