ASIA PACIFIC/MIDDLE EAST. Passenger traffic in Asia Pacific and the Middle East stayed on an upward curve in November 2018 with increases of 3.8% and 2.7% respectively, according to new figures released by Airports International Council (ACI) Asia-Pacific.
In Asia Pacific, where there was a slowdown in the overall pace of growth, India led the way with an 8.0% increase in total passenger traffic compared with November 2017. However, ACI noted that there were signs of moderation in both the international and domestic sectors.
One such indicator came from India’s largest airport in Delhi, which recorded only marginal growth of 1% during the month, although ACI acknowledged that this was partly due to a temporary runway maintenance closure that reduced operations.
However, there were significant passenger volume rises recorded at other major Indian airports, including Bangalore (23.8%), Ahmedabad (21.8%) and Hyderabad (11.1%).
In China, the general pace of growth continued to slow; total passenger traffic growth from last year was approximately 3.6%. The three biggest rises came at Chengdu (5.6%), Xi’an (5.9%) and Guangzhou (3.2%). Other highlights in the Asia Pacific region include a 7.3% rise in passenger traffic at Incheon International. ACI said this was driven by a sizeable increase in international visitors.
ACI reported mixed results from the Middle East, where the region’s largest hub, Dubai International, posted a -0.8% decline. More positive news emerged from elsewhere however, with significant increases reported for Bahrain (15.3%), Amman (11.5%) and Muscat (11.3%).
