Dubai International (DXB) welcomes record 7.7 million passengers this August

Dubai International (DXB) welcomed a record 7.7 million passengers in August, eclipsing its previous record achieved in July, according to the monthly traffic report issued today by operator Dubai Airports.

Passenger traffic at DXB passengers reached 7,727,105 compared to 7,282,256 recorded in the corresponding month last year, an increase of 6.1 per cent. The year to date traffic totalled 55,850,353 passengers up 6.9 per cent compared to 52,264,223 recorded during the first eight months of 2015. The seasonal rush of travellers, in particular UAE residents returning for the start of the academic year, boosted the traffic leading to a bumper month.

Spurred by additional capacity and new services launched by a number of carriers including Emirates and flydubai, Eastern Europe was the fastest-expanding market in terms of percentage growth (67.9 per cent), followed by Asia (13 per cent), South America (11.7 per cent), and the Indian Subcontinent (11.7 per cent). India remained the top destination country (924,256 passengers), followed by the UK (584,508 passengers) and Saudi Arabia (535,280 passengers).

London was the top destination city with 371,320 passengers followed closely by Doha (252,616 passengers) and Kuwait (240,712 passengers). Baku (+284.5 per cent) topped the list of cities in terms of percentage growth, followed by Mashhad (118.6 per cent) and Boston (88.2 per cent) – growth on the routes boosted by increased capacity.

The average number of passengers per flight during the month was 237 – one of the highest DXB has ever seen.

Aircraft movements totalled 33,827 during the month under review compared to 34,773 movements recorded in August 2015, marginally down by 2.7 per cent. Year to date aircraft movement totalled 276,233 up 2.9 per cent compared to 268,360, recorded during the same period in 2015.

Dubai International handled freight totalling 201,100 tonnes in August compared to 207,427 tonnes recorded in August 2015, a contraction of 3.1 per cent. Year to date cargo reached 1,686,277 tonnes, up 2.4 per cent compared to 1,645,815 tonnes recorded during the first eight months last year.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said, “Consecutive months with record breaking traffic is a great way to mark the 56^th anniversary of DXB which occurred last week. Looking back it’s astonishing to see how quickly a tiny airport that was once a refuelling stop for airlines has turned into the world’s number one international hub. Over these five and a half decades, DXB has welcomed more than three quarters of a billion passengers.”

“As we continue to grow, our focus will continue to operate not only the world’s busiest airports but also the world’s best in terms of customer service,” he added.