Passenger traffic posts healthy rise in Asia Pacific and Middle East in October

ASIA PACIFIC/MIDDLE EAST. Passenger traffic across airports in Asia Pacific and the Middle East grew +8.1% and +3.3% year-on-year respectively in October 2017, according to Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific.

In India, robust domestic passenger travel stimulated growth of +17% year-on-year in October – the highest monthly increase since January 2017.

Delhi and Mumbai airports also registered highs of +18.4% and +12.2% respectively. Bangalore, the country’s third-busiest airport, recorded an increase of +13.3%.

In China, passenger growth regained momentum in October, supported by a solid rise in domestic traffic. Several Chinese airports saw healthy increases in international passenger numbers, buoyed by leisure travel growth, said ACI. The top three volume drivers were Guangzhou (+8.3%), Shenzhen (+10.9%) and Shanghai Pudong (+6.9%) airports.

Passenger volumes at Southeast Asian airports also benefited from an uptick in leisure travel from China. This growth was led by Bangkok Don Mueang (+10.3%), Jakarta (+10.5%) and Kuala Lumpur (+8.9%).

In the Middle East, passenger traffic presented mixed results in October. Growth at Dubai International hit +6.9%, the strongest rise since April. Doha (Hamad International) continued to face the negative impact of Qatar’s diplomatic crisis with a -14.3% decline. Muscat and Kuwait presented the highest growth rates in the region in October, with surges of +19.4% and +17.2% respectively.

Food & Beverage The Magazine eZine