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Dubai International passenger traffic tops 6.25m in Oct

Dubai - "Traffic continues its steady climb as we approach the end of what will be another record year for both cargo and passenger numbers," said Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports.

Passenger traffic at Dubai International rose 4.4 per cent in October, according to latest report issued by operator Dubai Airports.
Passenger numbers in October this year totalled 6.25 million compared to 5.98 million recorded in same month last year. Year-to-date traffic rose 11.2 per cent to 64.94 million compared to 58.41 million recorded during the same period last year.
"Traffic continues its steady climb as we approach the end of what will be another record year for both cargo and passenger numbers," said Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports.
Aircraft movements rose to 34,917 during October, up 6.5 per cent from the 32,798 recorded during the same month last year. Year-to-date aircraft movements were up 16 per cent to 337,316 compared to 290,779 recorded during the corresponding period in 2014 due to primarily to the impact of the 80-day runway upgrade programme conducted last year.
Passengers per aircraft movement in October came in at 188, while the year to date figure remained a high 202 - driven by the Emirates' fleet of wide-body aircraft.
"With traffic rising over four per cent to 6.2 million passengers for October 2015, Dubai International's growth is coming in thick and fast. Year-to-date traffic is already up a whopping 11 per cent, putting the airport on track to not only exceed 2014s record figures, but also consolidate and expand its lead as the world's busiest international airport," Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research, told Khaleej Times.
"As ever, the relentless drive to expand by Emirates and flydubai, the two biggest incumbents at the airport, have led the way in pulling traffic into and through Dubai," he added.
Eastern Europe topped all markets in terms of percentage passenger growth, followed by North America, as a result of Emirates increasing capacity on several routes and launch of additional daily flights to both New York and Seattle, and Africa .
In terms of overall passenger traffic, the Indian sub-continent was the top market during the month, closely followed by Western Europe. India remained the top country for passenger numbers. UK, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and US rounded out the top five.
Air freight traffic was up 7.6 per cent for the month with volumes of 215,714 tonnes compared to 200,435 tonnes recorded during the same month last year. Year-to-date cargo traffic totalled 2,068,844 tonnes, up 3.1 per cent from the 2,006,884 tonnes shipped during the first ten months of last year.
- muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com