Dubai International Airport posted a 5.2 per cent increase in year-on-year passenger numbers in February, according to a Dubai Airports statement.

February passenger numbers topped 3.83 million, an increase of 5.2 per cent compared to 3.64 million recorded during the same month in 2010. Aircraft movements for the month totalled 24,646 up 7.2 per cent from 22,982 recorded during the same period last year.

The largest increases in total passenger numbers in February were recorded on routes to and from AGCC (+111,978 passengers), the Indian subcontinent (+56,319 passengers), Western Europe (+30,999) and Russia and the CIS (+22,286 passengers).

Passenger totals on Middle Eastern routes dropped 33,036 while a decline of 28,395 passengers was recorded on African routes as traffic was affected by political unrest in Tunisia, Egypt, and Bahrain.

Dubai International handled 156,259 tonnes of international air freight in February, down 9 per cent from the 171,707 tonnes recorded during the same period in 2010. February freight growth was primarily affected by a decline in traffic from Asia, particularly from China due to the Chinese New Year holidays, as well as by limited flight disruptions in the Middle East.

“Dubai International continues to achieve consistent growth even during a period of global turbulence which is affecting the travel plans of millions of people,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.-TradeArabia News Service