Dubai International (DXB) welcomed 6.9 million passengers in October, according to the monthly traffic report issued today by operator Dubai Airports.

Passenger traffic at DXB reached 6,865,296 in October compared to 6,420,208 recorded in the corresponding month last year, an increase of 6.9 per cent. Year to date, passenger numbers at DXB have risen 5.9 per cent to 73,433,846 compared to 69,366,094 recorded during the first ten months of 2016.  

 South America was the top region among markets with the highest growth rate in October (+39.9 per cent) followed by Eastern Europe (23.5 per cent) mainly driven by Russia – where DXB connects passengers to 13 destinations – and Croatia, and Asia (20.3  per cent) propelled by the growth on routes to China and Thailand. India remained the top destination country (1,009,005 passengers), followed by the UK (525,896 passengers) and Saudi Arabia (407,262 passengers).

During the month under review, London was the top destination city out of Dubai with 327,400 passengers followed by Mumbai (219,512 passengers) and New Delhi (184,754 passengers).

Flight movements in October totalled 33,257 compared to 35,314 flights operated at DXB during the same month last year, a contraction of 5.8 per cent. Year to date flight movements totalled 340,940, down 2.3 per cent compared to 348,893 recorded during the first ten months of 2016. The average number of passengers per flight during the month was 213, up 11.6 per cent compared to 191 recorded during October of last year.

DXB handled freight totalling 231,805 tonnes compared to 236,169 tonnes during October 2016, down 1.8 per cent. Year to date cargo volumes as at the end of October reached 2,189,824, a growth of 2.9 per cent compared to 2,127,589 tonnes recorded during the same period last year.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said, “The third quarter has begun on a very positive note for DXB and with the hub on track to achieve our forecast of 89 million passengers for the year, our focus will be on continuing to maintain customer service quality and overall airport experience.” – TradeArabia News Service