Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport in the UAE reached a record 40.5 million travelers in the first half of 2016, a 5.8% increase compared with the corresponding period in 2015 when the airport welcomed 38.5 million travelers.
Owing to the impact of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan on travel patterns during an already traditionally slow month, traffic in June 2016 dipped 1% to 5,857,503, compared with 5,914,671 recorded during June 2015.
In the first half of the year, the top-five country destinations in terms of total passenger volumes were India (5,677,188), Saudi Arabia (3,213,868), the UK (2,850,437), Pakistan (2,134,012) and the USA (1,626,032). Aircraft movements in the first half totaled 207,439, up 3.8% compared with 199,820 recorded during the corresponding period last year.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, the airport operator, said, “We’ve had a record first half and the second half is underway with what could be a banner month thanks to the start of the holiday season in July and the week-long break for the Islamic festival of Eid Al Fitr.
“In July we have seen very high volumes, particularly in connecting traffic as vacationers increasingly choose Dubai as an intercontinental hub as well as being a popular destination in itself. We deployed additional staff at touchpoints across the airport and launched the Hangout@DXB campaign to reach out to travelers.”