Passenger traffic through Dubai International Airport rose to a record 18.361 million people in the first quarter of 2014, up 11.4 percent from the same period last year. This is 2.26 passengers more than the latest numbers for London’s Heathrow, which means that after a close competition during the last quarter, Dubai finally beats Heathrow as the world’s busiest airport.
The latest statistics, issued by Dubai Airports, shows that 6,285,868 passengers passed through Dubai International last month only, an increase of 7.5 percent over 5,846,297 passengers in March 2013. The steady growth in passenger traffic has been influenced by the expanding networks of the local carriers Emirates and flydubai, also says the operator. The monthly figures for March complete the Q1 statistics, revealing Dubai has become the home of the busiest airport in the world. Compared to Heathrow’s 16.1 million passengers, Dubai International received 18.361 passengers in the first three months of the year, or roughly 2.26 more people than the previous world’s No.1. This is an increase of 11.4 percent from the numbers in the same period last year, confirming the strong growth of the emirate’s biggest airport.
The statement also reveals the hottest markets – the highest growth in passenger numbers for March are recorded by the Indian subcontinent, followed by Western Europe, the GCC, and Asia. However, die to the Emirates Airlines’ partnership with Qantas, Australia is the fastest-expanding market in terms of percentage (up 21.9 percent). The top destination in March remains India, with 751,390 passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia with 518,555 passengers, and the UK with 460,529 passengers. And top destination city over the last month was London, beating other popular destinations such as Doha, Jeddah, and Riyadh.
Fright volumes also recorded an increase of 6.7 percent in March, compared to the same month a year ago, reaching 228,154 tonnes. The total rise in fright volumes during Q1 over the same period in 2013 is 5 percent, or 613,876 tonnes.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, predicts that by 2020, the passenger traffic for Dubai Airports will reach 100 million. This growth is fueled by a solid investment of $7.8 billion (AED 28.6 billion), which will contribute to expansion and improvement of the facilities. The key element of this plan includes the upgrading and refurbishment of both runways in Dubai International, which begins on 1st may and is scheduled to continue for 80 days. The project will not only increase the capacity of the airport, but it will also improve the safety and services, offered to passengers.
