INTERNATIONAL. Passenger traffic at the world’s airports climbed by +7.9% year-on-year in July, Airports Council International (ACI) has reported. Within this, international and domestic traffic posted healthy growth rates of +7.7% and +8.2% respectively.
July and August are the busiest periods for global passenger traffic due to holiday travel and tourism activity, particularly in the northern hemisphere, noted ACI. July 2015 represented “a banner month for passenger numbers since growth is significantly above the trend,” it added.
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All regions posted strong growth in passenger traffic, although Middle Eastern airports continue to stand out. Dubai, the world’s busiest airport for international passengers, had depressed figures in 2014 due to runway refurbishment over the summer months, which resulted in a growth rate of +29.5% year-on-year in July 2015. Even without Dubai’s surge, the region as a whole would have still recorded double-digit growth through other strong performing airports such as Doha, Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, which grew their passenger traffic by +24.9%, +23.3% and +18.9% respectively.
Major airports in other regions also recorded strong growth. Passenger traffic at Istanbul Atatürk, Jakarta and Shanghai Pudong grew by +16.9%, +15.3% and +14.7% respectively. Madrid continued to bounce back following the recession and Euro regional economic challenges: the airport grew passenger traffic by over +13% in July.
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