Dubai: Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport in January reached eight million people, marking a 9.7 per cent increase over the 7.3 million passengers using the airport in the same month in 2016.
A statement from operator Dubai Airports on Wednesday said the rise in the first month of 2017 was supported by the holiday season as well as the annual Dubai Shopping Festival. It also follows the airport’s performance in 2016 during which passenger traffic reached 83.6 million.
Paul Griffiths, chief executive officer of Dubai Airports, said the figures were a positive start to the year, which he expected to be “another record-breaking year” for the airport.
“It provides further impetus to our DXB Plus Programme, which will enhance service and boost capacity at DXB by applying technology to improved processes,” he said.
Expanding market
In January, routes to the Indian subcontinent topped the list of destinations, with nearly 1.9 million passengers flying there. They were followed by routes to Western Europe, which carried 1.7 million passengers, and routes to GCC states carrying 1.36 million passengers.
In terms of passenger traffic to individual destinations, London topped the list, followed by Doha, Kuwait, and Mumbai.
Eastern Europe remained the fastest-expanding market in terms of percentage growth, with passenger figures up 32.5 per cent, according to the figures from Dubai Airports. It was followed by Asia (up 26.4 per cent), South America (up 18.6 per cent), and Australasia (up 15.8 per cent).
Freight volumes at Dubai International also registered growth in January, with a 3.4 per cent increase year-on-year to reach 208,271.
