Dubai airport passenger traffic hits 43 million in the first half

DUBAI: Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport passed 43 million during the first six months of the year, 6 percent higher compared with the same period last year, operator Dubai Airports said on Wednesday.
Traffic for the world’s busiest airport for international travel in June meanwhile grew at a modest 3.9 percent to 6.08 million passengers from 5.85 million passengers due to the traditionally slow month of Ramadan.
During the first six months, the top country destinations in terms of total passenger volumes were India with 5.9 million, Saudi Arabia at 3.1 million, the UK with 3.06 million, Pakistan with 2.2 million and the US with 1.56 million.
“We are pleased with the growth in the first half, and with the rush of travelers expected to hit peak at the end of school holidays later next month, we are looking forward to another quarter of positive growth,” said Paul Griffiths, the chief executive of Dubai Airports, said in a statement.
In terms of percentage growth, the top regions were South America market, with expanded 36.4 percent, followed by Eastern Europe at 28.7 percent, Asia at 18.7 percent).
The top cities by passenger volumes included London with 1.89 million passengers, Mumbai with 1.2 million, Bangkok at 1.03 million and New Delhi with 1.01 million.
“We will continue to focus on improving service quality at DXB by bringing in new experiences and services to engage and delight our customers,” Griffiths said.
Emirates airline last week said it has entered into an “extensive partnership” with budget carrier flydubai, also its sister company, which goes beyond code-sharing and includes “integrated network collaboration with coordinated scheduling.” Emirates currently operates from its own dedicated Terminal 3 and flydubai mainly operates from Terminal 2 of Dubai International.
“This is an exciting and significant development for Emirates, flydubai, and Dubai aviation,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman and chief executive of Emirates Group and the chairman of flydubai.