Dubai Airports announced a 10.7 per cent jump in passenger numbers during August. This follows increases of 10.3 per cent in June and 12.6 per cent in July.
The airport handled a total of 3,729,879 passengers in August 2009 compared to 3,368,260 during the corresponding month last year. The monthly passenger throughput exceeded the 3.7-million mark for the second time this year, following the record-breaking 3.76 million passengers recorded in July.
Consistent growth during the first eight months of 2009 has seen the year-to-date passenger traffic reach 26,878,331, as compared to 25,182,526 for the corresponding period in 2008, an increase of 6.7 per cent. This contrasts dramatically with the seven per cent contraction seen in international passengers worldwide year-to-date as reported by Airports Council International (ACI).
Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports CEO, said Dubai International’s sustained growth supports projections for a record-breaking year for the region’s leading airport.
“The end of the summer also marks the beginning of high-season for tourists which puts Dubai International on track to set a new record of 40.5 million passengers by year end,” said Griffiths.
Dubai Airports recently released a traffic forecast which projects an 8.3 per cent increase in passenger numbers in 2009 and a 13.6 per cent rise in 2010.
“Dubai International is the only airport among the top ten airports in terms of international passenger traffic to still record positive growth,” said Griffiths.
“Aviation here has defied the global trend and this is testament to the attractiveness of Dubai not just as a transit hub but also as an international destination for both business and tourism. This pays dividends not only to the 125 airlines that operate into Dubai International but to the travel, tourism, logistics and hospitality sectors in the local economy.”