DXB FLIES HIGH
WITH NEW RECORD
Dubai International Airport has set a new record in passenger volumes in August, setting a new global standard and surpassing the airport’s former record
Our aim is to continue pushing the boundaries on experience and provide customers with the best possible service
— Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports’ CEO
dubai — Flying on the back of Emirates and flydubai, Dubai International airport has peaked new heights, surpassing its previous record of 8.23 million passengers a month to reach 8.37 million in August 2018.
Another key factor that helped improve passenger traffic was reduced queue times which fell 44 per cent in August, thanks to smart gate technology and a new stateof-the-art operations nerve centre that leverages real-time big data into service and efficiency enhancements.
The Dubai airport also registered the second consecutive month of crossing the eight million customer mark as its average monthly passenger traffic reached 7.5 million this year. That’s 1.2 million more than its closest rival London Heathrow of 6.29 million.
Dubai International’s previous record of 8.23 million was also set in the month of August in 2017. In the first eight months, the Dubai airport received 60.32 million passengers, an increase of 1.6 per cent over 2017. The airport has a target to achieve 90.2 million passengers in 2018.
Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports, said the aim is to continue pushing the boundaries on experience and provide customers with the best possible service.
“We are making progress on that front as well with shorter queue times, world-leading F&B and retail and other touches like spas, swimming pools and trampolines that help us stand out from the crowd.”
Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, said given the peak summer period, Emirates and flydubai, the two biggest operators at DXB, added new routes, additional frequencies and capacity which translated into more connectivity options for passengers.
Dubai International remains the primary hub for international travellers.
“The airport is on track to cater to around 90-91 million passengers this year in line with its forecast,” Ahmad said, adding that key to performance was the decline in queuing times by 44 per cent.
India remained the top destination country, with total traffic reaching over 1 million, followed by Saudi Arabia at 613,618 and
the UK with 603,531. Other markets of note include the US at 306,701 passengers and China at 215,211.
The top three cities were London (371,574 customers), Kuwait (272,607) and Mumbai (210,820). The fastest growing regions were Eastern Europe up by a whopping 25.7 per cent, the CIS up 14.8 per cent and Africa growing 11.2 per cent.
Flight movements during the month increased to 35,423, up 3.1 per cent. So far this year, 272,600 flights have taken off or landed at DXB, a slight drop of 0.7 per cent.
The airport handled 219,629 tonnes of airfreight in August, a slight drop of 2.3 per cent.
The airport is on track to cater to around 90-91 million passengers this year in line with its forecast
Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research