DUBAI International Airport (DIA) witnessed a surge in passenger figures in October this year, registering a growth of 18.35 per cent over the corresponding period last year.
DIA has grown at an average of 15 per cent annually over the last five years.
The airport handled over 2.25 million passengers during the last month as compared to just over 1.90 million in October 2005.
This brings the total number of passengers handled between January-October 2006 to 23.58 million, an increase of 15.46 per cent over the corresponding period in 2005.
October was a hectic month also for Dubai Cargo Village (DCV), which registered a robust 13.84 per cent growth between January and October this year as compared to the same period in 2005. The tonnage of cargo the facility handled during the period under review crossed 1.23 million tonnes as against 1.08 million tonnes during the corresponding period last year. During the month, import-export cargo went up by 2.97 per cent, transhipments by 3.96 per cent, while the tonnage of courier and mail shot up by 79.35 per cent.
Mohammed Ahli, director of operations directorate at Dubai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), expressed satisfaction at DIA’s growth and described it as being in line with the department’s projections. “The figures this year so far are very satisfying, taking us closer to our annual target for 2006. Next year will be a different scenario. With the completion of the multi-billion expansion project at Dubai International Airport, the global aviation industry will wake up to a new era,” he said.
“Our capacity will increase to 70 million passengers annually, putting the best of the services, provided through the latest technology, on offer to a larger number of passengers.”