Passenger traffic at Dubai International hits record in January

dubai - Passenger traffic rose 9.7% to 8.04 million in January 2017

Passenger traffic at Dubai International hit an all-time high of eight million in January, further reinforcing the airport's clout as the world's busiest for international passengers.

Passenger traffic rose 9.7 per cent to 8.04 million in January 2017, up from 7.33 million in the same month in 2016. This follows Dubai International's (DXB) performance in 2016 during which the airport welcomed a record 83.6 million passengers.

"It's an auspicious start to what is sure to be another record-breaking year for DXB," said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

"It provides further impetus to our DXB Plus Programme, which will enhance service and boost capacity at DXB by applying technology to improve processes. It also fuels our ongoing efforts to improve the customer experience with wi-fi, retail, F&B and offers ranging from spas to VIP service to live music," said Griffiths.

Saj Ahmad, an analyst at London's StrategicAero Research, said Dubai International's robust start to the year picks up from where it left off from its record-breaking 2016 performance.

"With a near 10 per cent rise in traffic to over eight million passengers in January alone, the airport is reaping the benefits of a resurgent travel market out of Eastern Europe as well as the Indian subcontinent," he said.

"Players like flydubai, who have been a huge regional success in Europe, has been the key driver behind this traffic growth, while major incumbent Emirates continues its organic expansion with new routes and frequencies to expand its connectivity appeal to and through Dubai," Ahmad told Khaleej Times.

Eastern Europe remained the fastest-expanding market in terms of percentage growth (up 32.5 per cent), followed by Asia (up 26.4 per cent), South America (up 18.6 per cent) and Australasia (up 15.8 per cent). In terms of passenger numbers, routes to the Indian subcontinent (1,876,448 passengers) topped the list followed by Western Europe (1,701,494 passengers) and the GCC states (1,363,089).

London (338,816 passengers) topped the list of top destinations followed by Doha (283,341), Kuwait (229,068) and Mumbai (223,399). Traffic from most regions was boosted during the month on account of holidays as well as the annual Dubai Shopping Festival.

Flight movements totalled 36,592 in January 2017, up 2.1 per cent compared to the 35,841 movements recorded in January 2016. The average number of passengers per movement increased to 230 compared to 215 during the corresponding period in 2016.  

Freight volumes at DXB also registered gains during the month, totalling 208,271 - an increase of 3.4 per cent compared to 201,483 recorded in January 2016.

"The increase in cargo traffic on the back of the festive season too shows an element of change, but with an earlier Ramadan this year, some of that cargo activity may well be reined in," Ahmad said.

- issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com