Dubai International Airport said that passenger traffic numbers reached a record 8.2 million in August, which it attributed to a seasonal rush of travellers, particularly UAE residents flying back to the country ahead of the start of the new academic year after the summer break.

Passenger traffic was up 6.6 percent year-on-year, compared to 7.7 million passengers in August 2017. Passenger traffic for the year-to-date is 6.3 percent higher than in the same period last year - at just over 59.35 million.

In a statement, Dubai Airports said South America was the fastest-expanding market in terms of percentage growth of travellers, increasing by 27.4 percent, followed by Asia (21.9 percent). However, in terms of the number of travellers, India remains the top destination country, with 1,044,730 passengers in August, followed by the UK (611,254 passengers) and Saudi Arabia (610,434 passengers). London was the top destination city with 377,130 passengers, followed by Kuwait (284,151 passengers) and Mumbai (211,564 passengers).

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said: “We are very pleased with the way things are shaping up this year, not only in terms of growth, which has been robust with passenger numbers exceeding the 8-million mark three times – in January, July and August, but also with our success in significantly enhancing the airport experience.”

Dubai International Airport has undergone a number of upgrades in recent years, with a view to increasing capacity and providing a better airport experience. In March last year, airport bosses opened Concourse D at Terminal One, which was part of a $1.2 billion programme of improvements aimed at increasing capacity to 90 million passengers per year.

However, based on current growth rates, passenger traffic between the three terminals at the airport could reach this capacity soon. Last year, passenger traffic grew by 7.2 percent to reach 83,654,250, and if the 6.3 percent growth rate achieved so far this year is maintained, passenger numbers will be close to 89 million at year end.

Dubai Airports is still working up plans to increase capacity at the city's second airport, Al Maktoum International, which it eventually plans to be the world's biggest, catering for up to 240 million passengers.

Currently, Al Maktoum International, which opened to passengers in 2013, can handle about 7 million passengers but an expansion is underway to increase capacity to 26.5 million. The work, which is being carried out by Alec Engineering & Contracting, is set to complete next year.



Further reading:


© Zawya 2017