DXB passenger numbers exceed 6.4m in October

October’s passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport rose 2.7 per cent over the same month the previous year, to reach 6.4 million, according to a statement from the airport.

During the year to date, passenger numbers at DXB have risen 6.8 per cent to 69.3 million compared to 64.9 million recorded during the first ten months of 2015.

The highest rise in incoming passengers was from Eastern Europe, with an increase of more than 25 per cent thanks to additional capacity and new services launched by a number of airlines, the statement said, followed by South America (9.9 per cent), Asia (8.2 per cent) and the Indian Subcontinent (6.7 per cent).

India remained the top destination country (901,958 passengers), followed by the UK (493,181 passengers) and Saudi Arabia (349,198 passengers). London continued to be the top destination city, operator Dubai Airports said in a statement.

A total of 35,294 flights operated at DXB during October compared to 34,921 the previous year, an increase of 1.1 per cent. In the year to date 347,463 flights operated at DXB, up 3 per cent compared to 337,426 recorded during the same period in 2015.

October’s freight volumes totalled 236,169 tonnes, up 9.5 per cent compared to the 215,714 tonnes handled during the same month last year.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports stated: “Cargo numbers impressed during October with the biggest monthly increase we’ve seen all year. On the passenger side, we remain on track to achieve our forecast for 83 million passengers by year-end. Accordingly, DXB is sure to retain its status as the leading airport worldwide for international passenger traffic.”

Allocating slots

In a separate statement the airport reiterated its was not responsible for allocating flight slots on the high-demand routes to India. “Dubai International’s slots are allocated by an independent slot coordinator, Airport Coordination Limited (ACL), in accordance with IATA guidelines. ACL conducts slot allocation activities at other major international airports around the world as well,” Griffiths said in a statement.