Dubai Airport passengers rise 10.4%

Dubai - Dubai International recorded 199,624 total aircraft movement in the first half compared to 170,815 movements in the similar period last year.

Dubai International Airport said it welcomed 10.4 per cent more passengers in the first half of 2015 as Emirates and flydubai launched new connections to Eastern Europe.
Dubai Airports, the operator of the world's busiest airport by international traffic, said that Dubai International handled 38.29 million passengers during January-June 2015 compared to 34.67 million in corresponding period last year.
The airport registered a 16.7 per cent passenger traffic growth in June by handing 5.9 million people as against 5.06 million in the same month last year. It attributed the rise in traffic in June this year to completion of the runway refurbishment project that had reduced operational capacity last year.
"We are very satisfied with the growth numbers in the first half of the year and anticipate the growth trend to continue throughout the remainder of the second half. This will help us reach our annual forecast of over 79 million passengers," said Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports.
Dubai International recorded 199,624 total aircraft movement in the first half compared to 170,815 movements in the similar period last year, registering an increase of 16.9 per cent.
Total aircraft movement surged 45.8 per cent in June as the airport recorded 32,114 aircraft movements as against 22,031 in the same month last year when the airport was reduced to a single runway operation due to the runway refurbishment project.
Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research, said Dubai International continued its robust traffic performance in 2015, with over 38 million passengers handled in the first half of the year so far.
"With 5.9 million passengers using the airport in June, despite the onset of Ramadan, this was a 16.7 per cent rise over the same month a year ago," Ahmad said. He said flydubai and Emirates have been instrumental in pushing forward Dubai International's growth. New routes into southern Europe by flydubai demonstrate insatiable demand where new traffic rights and destinations are inaugurated.
"Notwithstanding demand being tempered during Ramadan, Dubai International looks poised to surpass 79 million passengers this year - retaining and cementing it's position as the world's busiest international airport," Ahmad said.
Freight volumes increased 17.2 per cent to 217,896 tonnes compared to 185,842 tonnes recorded in June 2014.
- muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com