Dubai. The volcanic ash cloud that grounded flights around the world for six days last month had a minimal impact on growth at Dubai International as April passenger numbers rose 13.9 per cent from 3,289,037 to 3,745,016 and cargo volumes increased 19.6per cent per cent from 149,169 tonnes to 178,357 tonnes versus the same period last year.
The year to date passenger traffic increased 18.7 per cent to 15,215,536, while cargo grew by 24.6 per cent to 715,628 tonnes compared to April 2009.
“To record double-digit growth during a month where over 500 flights were cancelled is impressive,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports. “It’s testament to the great job airlines did to clear the backlog after the skies opened up. And it’s a clear indication that our confidence in the continued growth at Dubai International is well placed.”
The volcanic ash cloud and resulting airspace closures in Europe that occurred April 15-21 caused over 100,000 flight cancellations worldwide and prevented 10 million passengers from flying according to a report issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
At Dubai International, timely communication and airline re-routing minimised the impact to just over 500 flight cancellations stranding some 6,000 passengers, the large majority of whom were comfortably accommodated in hotels around the city. Following the disruptions, 46 additional flights were operated to transport stranded passengers and cargo to their final destinations and effectively clear the backlog in the shortest possible time.
