Airport traffic up 10% in September for Dubai International

The number of passengers passing through Dubai International Airport spiked by 9.9 per cent during September to hit 5.9 million, according to the global hub’s operator.

Figures from Dubai Airports demonstrate that traffic for the first nine months of 2014 rose by 6.2 per cent, taking the total to 52 million people compared to 49 million during the same period in 2013.

More aircraft landed at the hub last month, with the operator recording a 0.4 per cent increase, taking movements to 30,871 compared to 30,746 in September last year. So far, 2014 has seen 257,981 planes land at Dubai International.

In addition, freight volumes for the airport rose by 2.8 per cent last month, with it taking delivery of 202,415 tonnes compared to 196,823 tonnes during Septmber 2013.

Commenting on the figures, Paul Griffiths, chief executive officer of Dubai Airports, said: “The airport’s performance in the first three quarters has been very satisfying and we anticipate brisk growth will continue as we head down the home stretch to year-end.

“Clearly, more people are choosing Dubai as their preferred hub not only for the extensive network of 260 destinations that we connect around the world, but also for the wide array of options we offer our customers for dining, shopping and resting.”

As the recent runway refurbishment project has been completed, Mohammed Ahli, director general of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, expects aircraft arrivals to increase from 33 per hour to 45 by 2016.

Further improvements for the airport are set to start soon, with Dubai Holdings due open a new concourse in the first quarter of 2015 - a project that forms part of a $7.8 billion (£4.8 billion) expansion plan to boost airport capacity by 100 million annually.

An increase in passenger traffic is good news for the hospitality industry, as more people landing in Dubai’s airports means boosted hotel occupancy rates and healthier revenues.