Dubai World Central cargo traffic rises 42%

Dubai - "The story is only just beginning for DWC but the early results continue to impress," said Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports.

Cargo volumes at Al Maktoum International - Dubai World Central (DWC) continued to rise sharply in the first half of 2015, as the airport continues to rise up the ranks of the top cargo airports worldwide, edging into 19th position up from 20th earlier in the year.
Freight volumes surged 42 per cent during January-June 2015 period to 443,012 tonnes, up from the 311,365 tonnes achieved in the same period last year. The growth was driven by Dubai Airports' decision to relocate all freighters from Dubai International to DWC in May last year.
"The story is only just beginning for DWC but the early results continue to impress," said Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports.
Passenger traffic for the period totalled 209,989 in the first half of 2015, down 64 per cent from the 578,129 passengers recorded in the same period last year. The surge in volumes was created by the temporary relocation of 300 flights per week while the runway refurbishment programme was conducted at Dubai International.
"The airport is quickly emerging as an important cargo hub and with the addition of 70 weekly flydubai flights to seven new destinations in October, we expect the airport to soon establish itself as an important gateway to the Middle East," Griffiths said.
Once flydubai operations commence this October, DWC will offer passengers a total of 190 weekly flights to 17 destinations.
Aircraft movements totalled 20,866 in the first half of 2015, down 17 per cent from the 25,184 movements achieved in the same period last year.
Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research, said shifting cargo operations from Dubai International Airport to Dubai World Central has boosted freight traffic by 42 per cent in the first half. However, the additional capacity on tap at DWC allows the airport to expand both passenger and freight growth faster, given its continued development.
"While passenger numbers have sharply fallen off because of the temporary surge seen last summer during the Dubai Airport runway upgrades, the steady number of airlines and passengers using DWC will continue its upward trend in years to come, especially as big airlines like flydubai have taken the strategic decision to operate out of both city airports," Ahmad told Khaleej Times.
It's vital to note that while passenger numbers were down at DWC, aircraft movements were only off by 17 per cent despite many airlines reverting back to Dubai International after last year's runway works.
"We can see that flights are stable at DWC and will expand in numbers a year from now. We'll get a holistic picture of how DWC is performing alongside its expansion and development at the airport site," Ahmad added.
- muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com