Passenger traffic up +4.4% in Asia Pacific but down -0.4% in Middle East in January

ASIA PACIFIC/MIDDLE EAST. Passenger traffic at Asia Pacific airports rose +4.4% year-on-year in January. Middle East airports reported a decrease of -0.4%, according to the latest Airports Council International Asia-Pacific (ACI Asia-Pacific) figures.

The organisation said the month’s traffic figures were largely distorted by the later timing of Chinese New Year compared to last year, resulting in slower growth in many countries.

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India had the highest growth rate in Asia Pacific, at approximately +15%. ACI Asia-Pacific said this was driven by robust domestic demand. “India’s domestic sector has experienced a period of high growth since 2015 and continued to have strong momentum,” it said.

Among the top 10 airports driving domestic passenger traffic volume in January, seven came from India. These were led by Delhi (+12.6%), Bangalore (+19.8%) and Hyderabad (+24.8%).

China’s growth slowed to approximately +2% in January, largely as a result of the Chinese New Year timing. The busiest airports in the country all reported either a small decline or a marginal increase for the month – Beijing was -0.4%, Shanghai Pudong +0.3% and Guangzhou +0.7%.  ACI Asia-Pacific said it expected passenger traffic to rebound significantly in February.

Elsewhere in the region, “vibrant” international passenger travel benefited a number of markets. Leading the way were: Seoul Incheon (+8.2%), Kuala Lumpur (+4.9%), and Bangkok Don Mueang (+7.4%).

In the Middle East, passenger traffic continued to show mixed results in January. Dubai was also partially impacted by the timing of Chinese New Year and recorded a traffic decline of -1.0%, ACI Asia-Pacific reported. Abu Dhabi traffic declined -12.6%.

The diplomatic crisis in Qatar, which began in June 2017, continued to negatively impact Doha’s traffic for the month, at -14.1%. The bright spots in the region were Kuwait (+19%) and Muscat (+12.4%).

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