Dubai: Passenger numbers at Dubai International slipped again in July as 80 days of capacity constraining maintenance work wrapped up at the airport, according to data from operator Dubai Airports.
Full operations resumed on July 21 following consecutive runway refurbishment and upgrade work that started on May 1. In July, the number of passengers using the aiport decreased by 2.9 per cent to 5,155,771, compared to 5,310,361 a year earlier.
But for the first seven months of the year ending July 31, passenger numbers rose 4.9 per cent to 39,831,861, compared to 37,972,464. However, Dubai International has further slipped behind London Heathrow, last years busiest airport for international passenger traffic, after taking the lead earlier this year. Data from London Heathrow operators shows that 42,032,100 passengers have used the airport in the first seven months of the year, up 1.7 per cent.
Landings and take-offs
For Dubai International, Eastern Europe was the fastest growing region with passenger numbers increasing by 17.6 per cent, followed by North America with 8.8 per cent growth, South America rising by 4.5 per cent, and Western Europe traffic increasing by 3.9 per cent, according to Dubai Airports.
Traffic from the Indian subcontinent and Middle East declined because of a cut in flights during the runway works, Dubai Airports stated.
In July, there were 25,081 aircraft landings and take-offs at Dubai International, down 11.9 per cent from 28,462 the same month a year earlier. Year-to-July 31 aircraft landings and take-offs movements were up 7.3 per cent to 195,896, compared to 211,373 in the same period last year.
The number of landings and take-offs during the runway repair work period from May 1 to July 20 was down 26 per cent compared to a year earlier, according to Dubai Airports.
