Cargo passing through Dubai World Central soared in the first half of the year pushing the city’s new airport higher in the global rankings for the movement of air freight.
Cargo volumes at the Dubai World Central (DWC) hub grew 42 per cent during the first half of this year, pushing Al Maktoum International airport up one place in the world rankings to become the 19th busiest cargo hub.
Freight volumes surged to 443,012 tonnes in the first half of 2015, up from the 311,365 tonnes for the same period last year, Dubai Airports said yesterday, driven by Emirates airline's strategic decision in May last year to relocate all dedicated freighters from Dubai International to the new airport.
However, the number of passengers passing through the airport fell 64 per cent during the same period, to 209,989 from the 578,129 recorded during the same period last year.
Dubai Airports said that the reduction in passengers was due to a surge in volumes created by the temporary relocation of 300 flights per week from Dubai’s current main airport Dubai International while a runway refurbishment programme was carried out.
The temporary relocation was also responsible for a 17 per cent fall in the number of aircraft movements recorded during the period – totalling 20,866 in the first half of 2015, down from 25,184 a year earlier.
"The story is only just beginning for DWC but the early results continue to impress," said Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports. "The airport is quickly emerging as an important cargo hub and with the addition of 70 weekly flydubai flights to seven new destinations in October, we expect the airport to soon establish itself as an important gateway to the Middle East."
According to the International Air Transport Association (Iata), demand for air freight among Middle East carriers jumped by more than 18 per cent in May compared to a year earlier, while in Europe it fell 1.3 per cent and in North America it was down 2.9 per cent.
Iata said that the increase was due to network and capacity expansion, which was encouraging air freight to go through Middle Eastern hubs.
lbarnard@thenational.ae
Follow The National's Business section on Twitter
