UAE. Dubai International handled 6.95 million passengers in November, an increase of +5.6% year-on-year. In the first 11 months, passenger numbers climbed by +5.8% to 80.4 million.
The most significant contribution to November passenger growth came from the Indian Subcontinent and Western Europe. These regions showed growth of +7.5% and +8% respectively, as more than 1.5 million passengers travelled to and from each in November. These figures were reflected in the top-ranked cities for traffic to and from Dubai, led by London (310,551) and Mumbai (217,279).
India (999,625) remained the top destination country for Dubai International traffic. For the first time in four months, Saudi Arabia (534,906) climbed to second in terms of passenger numbers by country, moving in front of the UK (507,796).
Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said: “Over the past year, Dubai International has witnessed consistent growth in terms of passenger traffic. Given the high passenger traffic volumes we welcomed in December we anticipate ending the year on a positive note.”
As reported, the airport’s anchor retailer Dubai Duty Free posted full-year sales of US$1.93 billion for 2017, aided in part by growth in passenger traffic.
