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Dubai airport posts growth despite ash cloud menace

DUBAI — Dubai International, home to the Middle East’s largest airline Emirates, continued to post impressive growth in passenger traffic and cargo volume during April despite the volcanic disruption, the airport’s 
operator said.

The volcanic ash cloud that grounded flights around the world for six days last month had a minimal impact on growth at the Dubai airport as passenger numbers rose by 13.9 per cent to 3.7 million in April 2010 from 3.3 million during the same period last year and cargo volumes increased by 19.6 per cent to 178,357 tonnes from 149,169 tonnes, Dubai Airports said in a statement on Tuesday.

“To record double-digit growth during a month where over 500 flights were cancelled is impressive,” Dubai Airports Chief Executive Paul 
Griffiths said.

The year-to-date passenger traffic increased by 18.7 per cent to 15.2 million while cargo grew by 24.6 per cent to 715,628 tonnes compared to 
April 2009.

“It’s testament to the great job airlines did to clear the backlog after the skies opened up. And it’s a clear indication that our confidence in the continued growth at Dubai International is well placed,” Griffiths said.

The volcanic ash cloud and resulting airspace closures in Europe that occurred from April 15 to 21 caused over 100,000 flight cancellations worldwide and prevented 10 million passengers from flying, according to a report issued by the International Air Transport Association.

At Dubai International, timely communication and airline re-routing minimised the impact to just over 500 flight cancellations stranding some 6,000 passengers, the majority of whom were comfortably accommodated in hotels around the city.

The disruptions led to some variations in traffic flows. Strong growth was seen in all regions with the exception of Western Europe where passenger numbers grew by just one per cent during April versus the monthly double-digit growth that had been recorded during the six previous months.

Similarly, London was ousted by Doha, albeit temporarily, from its position as the top destination in terms of traffic as passenger numbers between Dubai and the UK capital plummeted 20 per cent due to flight cancellations.

“So far we are outpacing our projections for 13.6 per cent growth during 2010,” Griffiths said, adding: “and with the addition of a number of new destinations and services in the months ahead we are cementing our status as a leading international hub.”

According to Airport Council International’s latest ranking, Dubai International has for the first time climbed to the third position on the list of world’s busiest airports in terms of both passenger numbers and cargo traffic.

abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com