Dubai Airport Passenger Traffic Up 9.9% In September

Passenger traffic through Dubai International Airport rose 9.9 per cent during the month of September to reach 5.9 million, according to its operator Dubai Airports.

Traffic during the first nine months also grew 6.2 per cent to reach 52 million compared to 49 million during the same period last year, a statement said.

Aircraft movements in September totalled 30,871, up marginally by 0.4 per cent compared to the 30,746 recorded during September 2013. Year to date movements totalled 257,981 compared to 273,317, a contraction of 5.6 per cent.

Airport authorities said that the fall in year-to-date aircraft movements was largely due to the closure of runways for its upgrade in May and the subsequent shift of all cargo flights and some general aviation flights to Al Maktoum International Airport.

The Indian subcontinent continued to be the top market in terms of overall passenger growth during September with more than 148, 211 travellers, followed by Western Europe and Asia, the statement said.

In terms of percentage passenger growth, Eastern Europe was the strongest market as it grew 20.3 per cent, followed by North America, which saw a 19.6 per cent growth, and South America, which recorded a 15.4 per cent rise.

Freight volumes in Dubai International Airport rose 2.8 per cent in September with 202,415 tonnes compared to 196,823 tonnes recorded during the same month last year.

Year-to-date cargo traffic totalled 1,763,283 tonnes compared to 1,793,596 tonnes recorded in the first nine months of 2013, down 1.7 per cent, again due to the shift of freighter flights to DWC.

“The airport’s performance in the first three quarters has been very satisfying and we anticipate brisk growth will continue as we head down the home stretch to year-end,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

Dubai Airport has been expanding rapidly in an effort to meet its target of 70 million passengers by the end of 2014.

Following the recent runway upgrade, the airport is also expected to see a rise in aircraft arrivals from the present 33 an hour to 45 by 2016, Mohammed Ahli, director general of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority said.

In addition, Dubai is investing to open a new concourse in the first quarter of next year as part of a wider $7.8 expansion plan to boost airport capacity to over 100 million passengers annually.