Dubai International Airport (DXB) saw air freight volumes rise 9.2% to 202,984 tonnes in October, compared to 185,868 tonnes recorded during the same period last year, while year-to-date cargo volumes total 1.8 million tonnes - a rise of up 21.6% on the first ten months of last year.
In terms of passengers, DXB surpassed the four million mark for the second time in the airport's 50 year history in October, and that monthly total will soon become the norm, according to traffic results and projections released today by Dubai Airports.
DXB's traffic statistics for October show that Dubai International handled a total of 4,013,127 passengers, up 14.8% from the 3.4 million recorded in October 2009. Year-to-date passenger numbers total 38.8 million (+15.7%) compared to the 33.5 million registered during the corresponding a year ago.
The largest increases in total passenger numbers during October were recorded on routes to and from Western Europe (+103,695 passengers), Indian subcontinent (+96,611 passengers), Asia (+74,322) and AGCC (+69,007). The largest percentage passenger traffic growth was seen on routes to and from Eastern Europe (306%), Russia (28%) and Asia (28%).
Dubai Airports today also released its 2011 traffic forecast for DXB that projects passenger numbers will reach 52.2 million next year, up 13.1% from the 46.1 million passengers expected to pass through the airport in 2010. Growth will be driven by a projected 10% rise in Emirates passenger numbers and an anticipated doubling of flydubai traffic in 2011 as both airlines continue to expand their respective fleets and networks.
Cargo volumes are anticipated to exceed 2.2 million tonnes in 2011, an increase of 4.8% over the 2.1 million tonnes forecast for 2010. This modest growth rate reflects a more stable cargo traffic environment following the double-digit expansion seen this year as the industry recovered from the 2009 economic downturn.
"Dubai's aviation industry is thriving due to its liberal aviation policies, tax free environment, geo-centric location as well as its willingness to invest in top-flight infrastructure," enthuses Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.
"It is a formula that clearly works. Today we have more than 130 carriers serving 220 destinations on six continents and we are home to arguably the world's most profitable airline. The challenge going forward is to ensure we have ample capacity in place to accommodate traffic growth."
By Joe Bates
