ASIA PACIFIC/MIDDLE EAST. Airport passenger traffic grew strongly year-on-year in Asia Pacific (+9.7%) and the Middle East (+8.5%) in June, according to Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific.
There was a strong performance in India for the month, which delivered +14.7% growth, with the domestic sector gaining +16.5%. Leading growth airports were Bangalore (+29%), Delhi (+10.8%) and Hyderabad (+20.5%).
Meanwhile, passenger traffic growth in China reached +10.4%, sustained by vigorous domestic and international demand, ACI noted. Domestic traffic grew by +9.6% during the month, the third highest since January 2018. ACI reported that out of the top ten airports in Asia Pacific that generated the highest domestic passenger volume increase from last year, six were in China, led by Shenzhen (+12.5%), Beijing (+7.1%), and Shanghai Hongqiao (+10.3%).
ACI said that passenger traffic growth in a number of Asia Pacific markets benefited from the timing of Ramadan and post-holiday travels. The region’s top performer in terms of passenger volume increase for June was Jakarta (+22.6%). Kuala Lumpur International posted +9.7% growth.
While the Middle East was slightly behind Asia Pacific in terms of overall growth, the +8.5% rise in June was nevertheless the highest recorded since April 2017. ACI said that the increase was in part attributed to the timing of Ramadan. The region’s largest airport, Dubai, recorded a double-digit increase at +11.7%, its highest since July 2016. Doha also achieved strong growth at +12.6%, benefiting from a lower base last year as the diplomatic crisis in Qatar reached its 12-month mark, ACI noted. Other significant risers included Kuwait (+19.2%), Amman (+17.1%) and Beirut (+16.7%).
Reflecting on traffic passenger growth performance for the first half of 2018, ACI said that Asia Pacific maintained its momentum at +8.6%. It noted that India continued to deliver strong growth but showed signs of moderation, while airports in China continued to grow their international and domestic traffic. However, ACI also noted that growth in the Middle East in the first half of 2018 was generally flat at +0.7%, as the region responded to changing market challenges and regional tensions.
