DUBAI: Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport (DXB) jumped 5.5 per cent in 2017 to reach 88.2 million passengers, driven by high volumes especially during January, July and August.
Operator Dubai Airports said passenger traffic during the three busiest months of the year topped eight million. The airport also welcomed new scheduled passenger airlines including SalamAir, Badr Airlines, and Air Moldova.
Dubai International retained its position as the world’s top airport for international passengers.
“With passenger traffic expected to reach 90.3 million in 2018, our focus in the new year will be on the DXB Plus programme, which aims to expand the airport’s annual capacity to 118 million passengers through process improvements and use of new technology,” said Paul Griffiths, chief executive officer of Dubai Airports, in a statement.
Speaking to Reuters later, the CEO said he expects double-digit passenger growth to resume in 2019 or 2020, with growth in 2017 being the slowest since at least 2009, as per Reuters calculations. Griffiths said the partnership deal between Emirates and flydubai will allow the carriers to expand, boosting business at the airport.
Emirates alone accounts for 51 per cent of the airport’s passenger traffic, the CEO told Reuters.
In 2017, India remained the single largest destination country for Dubai International, with over 12 million passengers, a 5.4 per cent increase.
The UK came in second place, with 6.47 million passengers, a 6.7 per cent year-on-year increase, overtaking Saudi Arabia, which recorded 6.36 million passengers (up 4.6 per cent year-on-year).
Meanwhile, passenger traffic between the airport and Russia jumped 28 per cent year-on-year to 1.3 million passengers, as traffic to and from China also climbed 19 per cent. The surge follows the relaxation of visa regulations from the UAE’s side to offer visas on arrival for Russian as well as Chinese visitors.
