Dubai airport sees double digit traffic growth in June

Dubai International airport reported a 11.7 per cent rise in passenger traffic in June, following two consecutive months of declining passenger traffic.

The airport handled 6,795,492 passengers in June 2018, compared to 6,084,674 recorded in June 2017, largely due to the impact of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan on traffic last year, operator Dubai Airports said in statement.

All the major markets registered growth during the month, with routes to CIS topping the list with traffic up 50.6 per cent followed by Eastern Europe (33.6 per cent), Africa (20per cent) and North America (16.9 per cent).

In terms of passenger volume, India was the top destination country during the month with 968,931 passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia (504,968), the UK (454477), Pakistan (349,633) and the US (291,391).

London topped the list top city destinations during the month with 280,941 passengers, followed by Mumbai (195,213 passengers) and New Delhi (173,820).

Overall, the world’s busiest airport for international travellers handled over 43.7 million passengers during the first half of the year, up 1.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2017.

Although flight movements in June rose 6.4 per cent to 32,805, flight movements during the first half of the year were down 2 per cent to 201,784.

The airport had recorded a drop in passenger traffic numbers in May and April, after rebounding in March from consecutive monthly declines in January and February.

In June, Dubai airline Emirates confirmed that it had grounded 20 aircraft due to sluggish demand in May, particularly during Ramadan.

Traffic in May fell by 50 per cent compared to the previous month.

The grounded aircraft returned to service following the Eid al Fitr holiday in mid-June, with the fleet expected to return to maximum capacity by September or October, Emirates president Tim Clark told reporters.

Read more: Emirates grounds 20 planes; facing ‘double whammy’ – Tim Clark

Regional airlines see almost no passenger traffic growth in May – IATA