Dubai airport passenger traffic soars 21.8pc
Dubai International Airport posted an increase of 21.8 per cent in passenger numbers during March, taking the total to a record 3,968,672 in the month compared to 3,259,072 during the same period last year.
Cargo also continued its resurgence in March with volumes increasing 21.9 per cent to 194,100 tonnes compared to 159,301 tonnes recorded in March 2009, said a Dubai Airports statement.
During the first quarter, Dubai International passenger traffic grew 20.4 per cent and cargo volumes rose 26.4 per cent, it said.
Passenger increases in March were due to a worldwide economic recovery, capacity increases by Emirates throughout its network, new routes launched by flydubai along with additional frequencies and routes offered by other airlines operating into Dubai International, said the statement.
Although passenger numbers grew 21.8 per cent, total aircraft movements rose just 9.6 per cent indicating that load factors and average aircraft size have increased. The strongest traffic increases were seen on routes to North America, Russia and CIS and Asia, the latter receiving a boost from Chinese New Year which occurred in March this year. The highest passenger volumes were generated by traffic to and from India, UK, Iran, Germany and Pakistan.
The 21.9 per cent increase in freight traffic in March was driven by volume increases at Emirates Skycargo, additional traffic generated by new cargo operators and the ongoing recovery of air cargo worldwide as companies continue to replenish inventories around the globe. Aircraft movements increased 6.4 per cent, indicating higher cargo load factors, the statement said.
Commenting on the figures, Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports said: The pace of the growth were seeing is frenetic thanks to capacity increases, gradually improving economic conditions and rising consumer confidence. Although last weeks operational disruptions due to European airspace closures will have an impact on Aprils traffic results, the strong surge of traffic created as airlines clear the backlog across their networks will go a long way in making up the difference.
Dubai Airports also announced today that it will release its five year cargo traffic forecast on May 4, 2010 at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. TradeArabia News Service