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“Dubai International is on track to eclipse our projections for 65.4 million passengers [in the year]“ |
Paul Griffiths CEO Dubai Airports |
UAE. Passenger traffic at Dubai International, the world’s second busiest airport for international passengers, rose +13.1% in September to 5.4 million, according to the latest traffic statistics issued today by Dubai Airports.
Year to date traffic for the first nine months was up +16% to 49.3 million. Aircraft movements totalled 30,746 during September, an increase of +10.2% from the 27,909 recorded during the same period last year. Passengers per aircraft movement in September came in at 193.
All regions recorded positive growth in September with the exception of South America (-6.9%). Among the strongest markets in terms of percentage passenger growth were Eastern Europe (+65.1%), driven by flydubai expansion to multiple destinations in the region and Emirates’ new service to Warsaw. Passenger traffic to and from Australasia rose +38.6% as a result of Emirates’ expansion and Qantas’ new operation connecting Australia and London through Dubai.
On a country level, Australia (+41.7%), France (+23.7%), Saudi Arabia (+22.4%), Thailand (+21.8%) and the UK (+21.7%) saw the largest increases.
In terms of overall passenger numbers, Western Europe traffic took over as the top market thanks to robust growth (+14.8%) during the month. AGCC came in second with +15% year-on-year passenger traffic growth. The Indian subcontinent, in third, continued to show strong growth (+9.8%) due to the expansion of several Indian carriers including Indigo, Spice Jet and Air India Express.
“Passenger and cargo traffic growth continue unabated and Dubai International is on track to eclipse our projections for 65.4 million passengers and 2.7 million tonnes of cargo,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. “With the opening of our new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central, and the ongoing expansion at Dubai International, Dubai’s aviation infrastructure continues to make it an attractive destination for tourism, trade and commerce.”
