Dubai: The city's airport announced a year-on-year growth of 9.2 per cent yesterday in passenger numbers during 2009.
Dubai International Airport experienced the highest growth in passengers among the world's busiest airports and passengers hit a record 40.9 million.
Global airport association Airports Council International's latest figures show 46 of the world's 50 busiest airports suffered falls in international passenger traffic in the first three quarters of 2009.
The only airports other than Dubai International reporting increases are Istanbul with 6.3 per cent growth, Kuala Lumpur with 4.6 per cent and Cairo with 1.5 per cent.
Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, said, "Dubai Airports is setting the pace globally. Dubai International's performance as one of the world's fastest growing airports in 2009 is particularly impressive considering the traffic contraction seen globally.
"This rapid growth strengthens our commitment to continue building Dubai into a world-class global aviation and logistics hub. If we can set records in a tough economic environment, the sky is the limit for what we can achieve when conditions improve."
Dubai International handled 3.8 million passengers in December 2009 compared with 3.3 million passengers in the same month in 2008, an increase of 14.5 per cent.
This impressive rise marked the seventh consecutive double-digit increase in passenger traffic and the second highest monthly increase after September's 19.5 per cent rise.
