Dubai International Airport (DXB) recorded its busiest month ever in August as it welcomed 8.37 million passengers during the month, surpassing its former record of 8.23 million set in August 2017
 
August marks the second consecutive month that DXB has crossed the 8 million customer mark, setting Dubai Airports up for a strong third quarter. DXB’s average monthly traffic this year is 7.5 million. That’s 1.2 million more than its closest rival London Heathrow (6.29 million). 
 
Dubai Airports’ CEO, Paul Griffiths, said: “It’s another milestone for Dubai Airports as we continue to break records and set the bar even higher. While the numbers speak volumes about our growth, our aim is to continue pushing the boundaries on experience and provide customers with the best possible service. We are making progress on that front as well with shorter queue times, world-leading F&B and retail and other touches like spas, swimming pools and trampolines that help us stand out from the crowd.”

Key facts and figures
Passenger numbers in August totalled 8,376,478, up 1.7 per cent compared to figures recorded in August 2017, boosting DXB’s year to date numbers to 60,323,570 - an increase of 1.6 per cent.

A total of 7.2 million bags passed through the airport’s 175 km long baggage system during the month, up 5.9 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Despite high volumes, queue times dropped 44 per cent in August thanks to Smart Gate technology that speeds customers through immigration and a new state-of-the-art operations nerve centre that leverages real-time big data into service and efficiency enhancements.

Top destinations
DXB continues to welcome people from all over the globe, leveraging its geocentric location to connect the world.
 
India remained DXB’s top destination country by customer volumes, with total traffic reaching 1,012,124 during the month. Saudi Arabia was second with 613,618 customers, followed by the UK with 603,531. Other markets of note include US (306,701 customers) and China (215,211).
 
The top three cities were London (371,574 customers), Kuwait (272,607) and Mumbai (210,820).
 
The fastest growing regions were Eastern Europe (up by a whopping 25.7 per cent), the CIS (up 14.8 per cent) and Africa (growing 11.2 per cent). 

Flights
Flight movements during the month increased to 35,423, up 3.1 per cent compared to August 2017.
 
So far this year, 272,600 flights have taken-off or landed at DXB, a slight dip of 0.7 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Cargo
A total of 219,629 tonnes of air freight moved through DXB in August, down 2.3 per cent compared August 2017, bringing total cargo tonnage for the year to 1,711,279 (down 1.7 per cent). - TradeArabia News Service