Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport (DXB) reached 7.2 million in September, according to a traffic report issued today by operator Dubai Airports.
 
DXB welcomed 7,215,182 passengers in September compared to 7,094,738 recorded in the corresponding month last year - an increase of 1.7 per cent. The softening of the growth was mainly due to the splitting of seasonal rush of travellers during Eid holidays which started in August and ended in September. The year to date traffic continued a strong upward trend with 66,568,550 passengers, a growth of 5.8 per cent compared to 62,945,886 recorded during the first nine months of 2016.
 
In terms of growth rate South America was the top region in September with a 46.2 per cent increase, followed by Eastern Europe (up 18.6 per cent), and East Asia (up 15.7 per cent), while traditionally strong market India remained the top destination country in terms of passenger numbers with 931,193 passengers, followed by the UK (548,762 passengers) and Saudi Arabia (536,187 passengers).
 
London was the top destination city with 346,018 passengers followed by Kuwait (213,713 passengers) and Mumbai (182,597 passengers).
 
As DXB’s rising ratio of wide-bodied aircraft continues to drive airport efficiency, the average number of passengers per flight during the first nine months remained high at 224, up 6.8 per cent compared to 210 during the same period last year.
 
The number of flight movements during September reached 33,134 compared to 34,780 movements recorded in September last year, down 4.7 per cent. The number of flight movements in the first nine months of the year totalled 307,683, a contraction of 1.9 per cent compared to 313,579 recorded during the same period in 2016.
 
September freight volumes totalled 217,120 compared to 205,142 tonnes recorded during the same month in 2016, an increase of 5.8 per cent. Year to date cargo totalled 1,958,018 tonnes, up 3.5 per cent compared to 1,891,419 tonnes recorded during the same period in 2016.
 
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said: “Dubai International’s growth throughout the first nine months of 2017 has been very satisfying and we are now well set for a great finish to the year thanks to the internationally popular entertainment and sports events lined up for the upcoming winter season here in Dubai.” - TradeArabia News Service