Dubai: Dubai Airports announced its May traffic results Wednesday reporting double-digit year-on-year growth in both passenger and cargo traffic at Dubai International.
Passenger traffic rose 13.6 per cent in May as the airport handled a total of 3,654,717 passengers compared to May 2009 when 3,217,089 passengers passed through the airport.
May represents the eleventh consecutive month of double-digit expansion, a run that started in June 2009 when Dubai International recorded a growth of 10.3 per cent.
Year to date passenger traffic is up 17.7 percent as 18,870,253 passengers have passed through Dubai International compared to 16,035,676 during the corresponding period in 2009.
Cargo volumes grew an impressive 31.7 per cent to 195,221 tonnes compared to 148,207 tonnes during the same month in 2009 spurred by increased economic activity in Asia and other regional markets. Year to date cargo volumes total 917,280 tonnes compared to 722,549 tonnes during the same period in 2009, up 27 per cent.
"The outlook remains strong as we expect traffic during June and September to hit record levels owing to the onset of the summer travel season," said Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports.
"An average of 100,000 passengers per day travelled through Dubai International during the summer rush in 2009 and the number is likely to be much higher this year."
To cope with traffic volumes, maintain high service levels and ensure a smooth flow of passengers through the facility Dubai Airports launched the annual 'Summer Mission' campaign on June 15.
As part of the campaign 250 volunteers and staff from different cultures have been deployed across the terminals to welcome, guide, and assist passengers from kerbside through to boarding gates.
Sporting blue-coloured "May I Help You?" t-shirts, the volunteers also inform passengers about airport facilities and procedures to make their future experience at the airport even more pleasant.
Factfile
- Dubai Airports owns and manages the operation and development of both of Dubai's airports - Dubai International as well as the upcoming Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International.
- According to ACI's latest figures, Dubai International is the world's 4th busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic and 5th busiest for cargo traffic, offering connections to over 210 destinations across six continents on more than 130 airlines.
- The first phase of Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International opens for cargo operations on June 27, 2010. Phase 1 includes a single A380 compatible runway; a passenger terminal with capacity of 5 million expandable up to 7 million passengers per annum; a cargo terminal building with a capacity of 250,000 tonnes expandable to 600,000 tonnes per annum and a 92-metre air traffic control tower.
- DWC will eventually become the world's largest airport with a capacity of 160 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo per year.
