Dubai, UAE – May 19, 2011 – Passenger traffic at Dubai International surged 13.2 per cent in April according to the traffic results announced by Dubai Airports on Thursday. Dubai Airports partially attributed the rebound to the drop in traffic to and from Europe following the volcanic eruption in Iceland during April last year.

Passenger traffic in April reached 4.23 million, up 13.2 per cent compared to 3.74 million recorded during the same month in 2010. The year to date traffic stands at 16.5 million, an increase of 8.5 per cent over the corresponding period in 2010.

 

The AGCC recorded the largest increase in total passenger numbers in April up 29.1 per cent (+153,864 passengers), followed by Western Europe which grew by 20.1 per cent (+142,185). Routes to the Indian subcontinent recorded 9.4 per cent growth (+83,718 passengers), while those to Russia and the CIS grew by 25.4 per cent (+22,286 passengers). Middle Eastern routes witnessed a drop of 2.4 per cent (-9,581) as traffic continues to be affected by political unrest.

Aircraft movements for the month totalled 26,597 up 6.7 per cent from 24,917 recorded during the same period last year.

 

Dubai International handled 179,397 tonnes of international air freight in April, up 5.6 per cent from the 169,902 tonnes recorded during the same period in 2010. The year to date freight volume has reached 686,679 tonnes, a contraction of 0.3 per cent compared to 688,537 tonnes for the corresponding period last year.

“We have surpassed the four million passenger mark three out of the first four months of the year and that trend is set to continue,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. “Our busiest summer ever is just around the corner and we will be working hard to maintain high service levels and ensure the comfort of our customers. That includes the activation of our Summer Mission programme which deploys additional customer service personnel to help passengers pass quickly and smoothly through our airport.”