Dubai International Airport started 2014 with another passenger traffic record, as holidaymakers poured into Dubai to escape colder climes and the Dubai Shopping Festival attracted a strong following from the region.
Passenger traffic reached 6.4 million during January, a 15.1 per cent increase year-on-year, with India the top destination country and Mumbai the busiest destination.
Saudi Arabia was the second busiest destination, followed by the United Kingdom.
Paul Griffiths, the chief executive of Dubai Airports, said full utilisation of the airport’s expansion, including Concourse A which opened on January 2, 2013, is key to maximising unhindered growth.
“Our new Concourse A is a case in point. With 10,608 A380 scheduled flights to 26 destinations in 2013, Concourse A has helped Dubai International enhance its status as the world’s largest hub for Airbus A380 operations in its first full year of operations.”
The number of passengers using Dubai International last year grew 15.2 per cent over 2012 to 66.43 million.
Freight volumes in January totalled 197,021 tonnes, an increase of 4.5 per cent compared to 188,520 tonnes recorded in January 2013.
ioxborrow@thenational.ae
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