(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Dubai International airport recorded a double-digit growth for September, compared to same period last year and expected to see the robust growth continue in the last quarter of the year, according to Dubai Airports chief executive officer Paul Griffiths.
The world's fourth busiest international airport witnessed a 12.8 per cent jump in passenger traffic in September that reached 4.78 million, compared to 4.24 million recorded during the same month in 2011.
The strong performance during the first nine months â€" seven of which recorded double-digit growth â€" has boosted the year-to-date traffic by 13.4 per cent to 42.56 million over 37.55 million recorded during the corresponding period last year been a very good year for Dubai Airports and we have had a great start to the last quarter with a rush of travellers attending a number of international events such as the recently concluded Islamic pilgrimage of Hajj, the World Energy Forum and the ongoing Eid in Dubai celebrations," Griffiths said.
With the Emirates airline Dubai Rugby Sevens and Dubai International Film Festival lined up in Dubai's calendar over the next two months, the company expects to see the robust growth continue through the remainder of the year, he added.
Western Europe recorded the largest increase in total passenger numbers in September (170,934 passengers), followed by the Subcontinent (96,734), the AGCC (63,226 passengers), and Africa (58,104 passengers). Contraction in traffic on Middle Eastern routes continued in September as a result of the ongoing situation in certain parts of the region.
The strongest markets in terms of percentage passenger growth were South America (106.3 per cent) driven by new Emirates airline's operations to destinations there, followed by Russia and CIS (27.7 per cent), Australasia (20.6 per cent ) and North America (20.1 per cent) as both demand and capacity increased on routes to Dallas, Seattle and Washington that were launched during the year.
Aircraft movements in September increased by 3.9 per cent to 27,909 from 26,860 recorded during the same month in 2011. The year-to-date movements totalled 253,973, up 6.2 per cent to 239,243 movements between January and September 2011.
The airport handled 193,261 tonnes of cargo in September, an increase of 9.1 per cent over 177,128 tonnes recorded during the same period in 2011 and marks the highest monthly increase since October 2010.
The year-to-date freight volumes reached 1.67 million tonnes compared to 1.61 million tonnes handled during the corresponding period last year, showing an increase of 3.7 per cent.
Abu Dhabi posts 14.5% surge in September
The passenger traffic at the Abu Dhabi International Airport, or Adia improved 14.5 per cent year-on-year in September to 1.2 million passengers, as the national airline Etihad Airways expands its service.
However, in the first nine months of the year, the passenger numbers rose 20.7 per cent, the Adia said, on Tuesday.
A total of 1.2 million passengers passed through Adia's facilities up against 1.086 million in the same period a year ago.
Aircraft movements also continued to steadily grow by 8.4 per cent for the month of September, totalling 10,057 movements compared to the same period last year; this is mainly due to Etihad's new services and the flight frequency increase by airlines operating at the Capital's airport.
In parallel, cargo volume recorded an increase of 24.9 per cent this month compared to the same month last year registering 48,525 tonnes. Engr Ahmad Al Haddabi, chief operating officer at Abu Dhabi Airports Company, or Adac, said this consistent double digit growth in passenger traffic during the month of September indicates that 2012 will be another record year for Abu Dhabi International Airport.
"The increasing attractiveness of Abu Dhabi as a trade and tourism destination is boosting inbound and outbound traffic, while the airport continues to offer efficient connectivity for transfer passengers across all continents," the chief operating officer said.
The top five routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport during September were Bangkok, London, Doha, Manila and Cairo.
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