Dubai International airport said it had handled a record total of 4.7 million passengers in July compared to 4.3 million in the same period last year, marking a year-on-year increase of 9.7 per cent.

Year to date traffic reached 29.29 million up 9 per cent compared to 26.87 million in the corresponding period in 2010.

The largest regional traffic growth in July in terms of total passenger numbers was recorded on routes to and from AGCC (+218,987), the Indian subcontinent (+68,063), Western Europe (+58,586) and North America (+37,435).

The fastest growing regions on a percentage basis were AGCC (+34 per cent), North America (+28.3 per cent), Eastern Europe (24.3 per cent) and South America (+18.5 per cent). On a country level, the largest gains were seen on traffic to and from Saudi Arabia (+127,882 passengers), the US (+38,070) and Qatar (+35,210).

Aircraft movements during July totalled 27,166, up 4.2 per cent from the 26,065 posted during the same period last year. Year to date aircraft movements numbered 317,664 up 6.8 per cent from 297,355 posted during the first seven months of 2010.

July air freight volumes dipped slightly as Dubai International handled 192,538 tonnes of freight compared to 197,845 tonnes during the same period in 2010, down 2.7 per cent.

Year to date Dubai International has handled a total of 1,250,489 tonnes of cargo, compared to 1,252,505 tonnes during the same period last year, a contraction of 0.16 per cent.

“This latest milestone further illustrates Dubai International’s emergence as a preeminent global hub,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

“Not only did we set a new record, we surpassed the previous high point by over 400,000 passengers.  Dubai International offers more flights to more destinations by more airlines than ever before which has had an almost exponential effect on connectivity and customer choice. Combined with Dubai’s burgeoning attractiveness as a centre for business and tourism, this is sure to fuel future expansion.”

“Dubai International is currently ranked as the fourth busiest airport worldwide for international passenger traffic. However, we are hot on the heels of Hong Kong International, and aspire to take over the number three spot by the end of the year,” Griffiths added.

Dubai International connects over 220 destinations across six continents on more than 150 airlines. Passenger numbers are projected to top 51 million by the end of 2011 and reach 98 million by 2020. – TradeArabia News Service