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Dubai airport’s passenger traffic soars 20pc in August

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The passenger numbers at Dubai International Airport (DIA), the world’s fourth busiest hub for passengers and cargo, hit 4.8 million in August, up 20 per cent when compared to 4.01 million the previous year, said a report.

This is for the seventh time this year that the airport has crossed the 4.5 million mark, according to the August traffic report issued by airport operator Dubai Airports.

The year-to-date passenger numbers also registered solid growth hitting 37.7 million, up 13.4 per cent over the 33.3 million recorded during the corresponding period last year.

The high growth rate can be attributed largely to a lower base caused by fluctuating travel patterns during Ramadan in August, said the report by Dubai Airports.

Traffic growth returned to the AGCC routes after a brief lull in July which coincided with Ramadan.

In August, the AGCC topped the list of regions with the largest growth in passenger numbers (over 252,084), followed by Western Europe (over 193,945), the Indian subcontinent (over 118,672), and Africa (over 69,384).

The top regions in terms of percentage growth in traffic included South America (97.8 per cent), the AGCC (47.8 per cent), and Russia and CIS (37.4 per cent), the report added.

Aircraft movements during August reached 27,986, up 8.3 per cent from 25,845 recorded during the corresponding month in 2011.

During the first eight months of the year aircraft movements totalled 226,064, up 6.4 per cent from 221,383 posted during the corresponding period in 2011.

With regard to cargo growth, the report said moderate growth continued at Dubai International with freight volumes totalling 190,770 in August, up 4.4 per cent compared to 182,782 tonnes of air freight recorded during the same period last year.

The year to date freight volumes reached 1,481,736 tonnes, up three per cent over the 1,438,044 tonnes for the corresponding period in 2011.

'Dubai International has successfully completed another record summer rush,' said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

'The non-stop growth is a testament to Dubai’s attraction to tourists and businesses around the world. Providing top-flight infrastructure to accommodate that growth is another of Dubai’s key strengths and one that will play a key role in supporting Dubai’s World Expo 2020 bid,' he added.

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