UAE: Dubai International Airport’s Passenger Traffic In Record 40.5 million

Dubai International Airport’s passenger traffic reached a record 40.5 million in the first half of 2016, up 5.8 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2015.

According to the traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports, the airport handled a total of 40,506,456 passengers during the first half compared to 38,299,288 passengers during the same period in 2015.

Owing to the impact of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan on travel patterns during an already traditionally slow month, traffic in June dipped 1 per cent to 5,857,503, compared to 5,914,671 recorded during June 2015.

In the first half of the year, the top five country destinations in terms of total passenger volumes were India (5,677,188), Saudi Arabia (3,213,868), the UK (2,850,437), Pakistan (2,134,012) and the US (1,626,032). Aircraft movements in the first half totalled 207,439, up 3.8 per cent compared to 199,820 recorded during the corresponding period last year. In June aircraft movements totalled 32,368, up 0.6 per cent compared to 32,166 during June of last year.

During the first half of 2016, air cargo volumes rose 3.8 per cent to 1,282,025 tonnes compared to 1,233,378 tonnes during the same period in 2015. Dubai International handled 226,175 tonnes of freight in June compared to 217,896 tonnes during the same month last year, an increase of 3.9 per cent.

“We’ve had a record first half and the second half is underway with what could be a banner month thanks to the start of the holiday season in July and the week-long break for the Islamic festival of Eid Al Fitr,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

“In July we have seen very high volumes, particularly in connecting traffic as vacationers increasingly choose Dubai as an intercontinental hub as well as being a popular destination in itself. We deployed additional staff at touchpoints across the airport and launched the Hangout@DXB campaign to reach out to travellers, keeping them informed of the latest events, and travel tips to make their journey easier," he added.