According to Dubai Airports, passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport surged by 13.2% to 4.23m in April, with the large increase partially attributed to the rebound in traffic to and from Europe following the volcanic eruption in Iceland during April of last year.

Last April’s result compares with 3.74m passengers recorded during April 2010 and Dubai International Airport’s year-to-date traffic now stands at 16.5m, a healthy increase of 8.5% over the corresponding period in 2010.

The AGCC recorded the largest increase in total passenger numbers in April up 29.1% (+153,864 passengers), followed by Western Europe which grew by 20.1% (+142,185). Routes to the Indian subcontinent recorded 9.4% growth (+83,718 passengers), while those to Russia and the CIS grew by 25.4% (+22,286 passengers). Middle Eastern routes witnessed a drop of 2.4% (-9,581) as traffic continues to be affected by political unrest.

Dubai International Airport also handled 179,397 tonnes of international air freight in April, up 5.6% from the 169,902 tonnes recorded during the same period in 2010. Year-to-date freight volume reached 686,679 tonnes, a contraction of 0.3% compared to 688,537 tonnes for the corresponding period last year.

STRONG CONSISTENT GROWTH
“We have surpassed the four million passenger mark three out of the first four months of the year and that trend is set to continue,” said Paul Griffiths, Ceo of Dubai Airports. “Our busiest summer ever is just around the corner and we will be working hard to maintain high service levels and ensure the comfort of our customers. 

“That includes the activation of our Summer Mission programme which deploys additional customer service personnel to help passengers pass quickly and smoothly through our airport.”