DUBAI, UAE: Passenger traffic at Dubai World Central (DWC) surged to 1.2 million during the first half of 2019, compared to 517,813 during the same period in 2018. The increase follows the transfer of some flights by a number of airlines during the closure of Dubai International’s (DXB) southern runway for rehabilitation from April 16 to May 30. More than 900,000 of the total traffic in the first half was recorded just during the 45-day period, which is equal to the airport’s entire annual passenger traffic in 2018.
Key Facts and Figures
Customers served: DWC welcomed a total of 1,248,506 customers during the first half of 2019 (+141%).
Top destinations
Accounting for more than a quarter of the traffic, the South Asia region was the single largest contributor to traffic at DWC during H1 with 379,851 customers, closely followed by CIS with 312,083 passengers and the GCC with 281,184 customers. Other significant contributors include Eastern Europe and Western Europe with more than 100,000 customers each.
Russia was the top destination country during the first six months with customer numbers exceeding 293,100, followed by Saudi Arabia (201,138 customers), India (193,900) and Germany (89,416 passengers). Some of DWC’s top destination cities during the first half were Moscow (165,367 customers), Jeddah (55,873 customers), and Karachi (39,762 customers).
Flights
A total of 22,127 flights took off or landed at DWC during H1 (+37.7% YoY).
Cargo
DWC moved a total of 450,000 tonnes of freight in H1, a year on year decline of 5.3% which is due to softening of overall air cargo market.
“The 45-day period was a major challenge for DWC as the airport had to accommodate a massive spike in both passenger and flight traffic – going overnight from 10 flights a day to 80 flights on peak days. Thanks to the planning and collaboration between Dubai Airports and our service partners including dnata, the General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs, Dubai Police, flydubai and other airlines, we were able to turn the challenge into an opportunity and successfully showcase DWC as a fantastic airport that’s quick, efficient and convenient,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.
Preparations for the expanded operations at DWC during the 45 days was logistically the same as opening an airport the size of Glasgow overnight. Some 600 pieces of heavy equipment had to be moved to DWC to ready the facility to handle the additional traffic and ensure a seamless and smooth operation from day one.
During DXB’s runway rehabilitation programme DWC showcased its newly expanded facilities, which can now accommodate up to 26.5 million passengers annually. The expanded airport has 90 check-in counters - 10 additional desks for business class customers, 24 departure gates, a 6,000-bags per hour baggage handling system, 40 immigration counters and five smart gates at arrivals, and a shaded car park of 2,500 capacity, which is currently free to use.
DWC was served by 11 passenger airlines operating an average of 525 weekly flights to 31 international destinations during the peak 45 days between April and May. DWC is also home to 18 cargo operators that fly to as many as 45 cities around the world.
-Ends-
- Dubai Airports manages the operation and development of both of Dubai’s airports – DXB and DWC.
- As integrator, Dubai Airports works to balance the interests of all stakeholders to maintain aviation growth, protect operational resilience and ensure that service providers collaborate to provide a safe and secure service and improve the experience of our customers whilst maintaining a sustainable business.
- DXB is the world’s number one airport in terms of international passenger traffic and number three globally in terms of total passenger traffic as reported by Airports Council International.
- DWC is ranked as one of the top 25 hubs for international cargo volumes.
- For traffic data, please refer to this fact sheet on our website.
- For hi-res images of DWC please visit our image library
Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.
The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.
