Abu Dhabi International Airport handled a record 2.25 million passengers last month on the back of new destinations added by airlines serving the capital.
Passenger numbers rose 17.4 per cent from 1.92 million passengers a year ago.
Etihad Airways, Jet, Alitalia, South African Airways and Sudan Airways have announced or added routes to India, the US, Europe, Hong Kong and Africa this year. And from December 1, Etihad will start flying to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
In July, Abu Dhabi airport handled 2.1 million travellers, and is on course to process 24 million passengers this year.
"This spike in traffic is attributable to many residents returning home to the UAE from vacations, ahead of the beginning of the school year," said Ahmad Al Haddabi, the chief operations officer at Abu Dhabi Airports. "Abu Dhabi is also increasingly being seen as a preferred tourism and business destination and this contributes directly to the growth we're seeing year on year."
The busiest routes from the airport were London, Bangkok, Doha, Manila and Mumbai, accounting for 15 per cent of overall traffic.
During the first half of the year, 1.98 million tourists visited Abu Dhabi, an annual rise of 17 per cent. India was the largest source market followed by the UK, China, Germany and the United States. The airport also handled 70,857 tonnes of cargo last month, a 7 per cent growth compared with last year. Meanwhile, aircraft movements rose 14.1 per cent to 15,277.
The increase in passenger numbers come even as the UAE economy is showing signs of a slowdown with oil prices down by almost half from a year ago. Brent crude closed at US$48.60 per barrel last week, down from $97.20 a barrel a year ago.
Some analysts say demand for cargo handled is expected to be affected by weakening growth in the wider economy. But passenger demand for air travel is not expected to ease.
“Any UAE economic slowdown, coupled with lower oil prices, makes travel to and through Abu Dhabi more appealing since pricing pressure is alleviated, particularly as the peak summer season starts to wind down a little,” said Saj Ahmad, an aviation analyst with the UK’s StrategicAero Research.
“Growth and expansion [of routes for Etihad] will be tempered until [it] moves to the new Midfield Terminal in July 2017,” Mr Ahmad added.
However, growth in cargo volumes through the airports could be a different scenario as shipping and air freight are competing for the same business.
“Ports like Jebel Ali still hold a massive competitive edge given the lower pricing structure that sea freight operations offer, but at the same time more passenger flights are now carrying freight too,” Mr Ahmad said. “[Moreover], down the road at Dubai World Central, transshipment growth of road and air freight also look robust and healthy.”
Last year, Dubai-based Emirates airline was the only Middle Eastern carrier to rank in the top five in terms of cargo volumes handled globally. It ranked third, carrying 2.3 million tonnes.
Global airlines carried 3.3 billion passengers last year, an increase of 5.8 per cent over 2013. Of that, Middle Eastern carriers ferried 173 million travellers, or 5.2 per cent of the market, last year. That was an increase of 10 per cent from 2013, according to the industry trade body Iata.
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