Solid start for Middle East, Asia-Pacific

Air passenger traffic across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East began 2017 robustly, propelled by holiday travels.

Asia-Pacific airports saw passenger throughput in January surging 11.5% over the same period last year, with those in the Middle East rising 9.3%, according to the Airports Council International (ACI).

India continued to generate the highest growth rate in the AsiaPacific region, backed by robust domestic passenger travels.

New Delhi, the busiest airport in India, served 21% more passengers in January, with several airports in the country recording substantial gains in the month: Kolkata rising 34.4%, Bangalore 26.9% and Goa 26.6%.

The Lunar New Year holidays, which fell in January this year, boosted growth in both international and domestic passenger traffic.

Kunming recorded the highest growth in China at 20.6%, followed by Hangzhou at 18.7% and Xiamen 17.1%, the airport industry body said.

Elsewhere in the region, Kuala Lumpur registered an increase of 15.7% and Seoul Incheon gained 12.1%.

Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi grew slower, with an 8.56% increase. In the Middle East, passenger traffic growth remained resilient in January.

Dubai, the largest hub in the region, grew 9.7% from last year while Muscat and Doha led the Middle East, growing at 14.7% and 14%, respectively.

In terms of air freight, Asia-Pacific grew 4.5% in January, while the Middle East grew 8.2%.

The slower pace of growth in the Asia-Pacific was likely a result of factory closures during Chinese New Year.

Mumbai was the top runner, growing at 27.1%, followed by Doha at 20.9%.