The number of passengers from eastern Europe travelling through Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, recorded the sharpest increase among all regions in November, amid expectations that the airport’s 2016 passenger figures could outshine the previous year’s performance.
Traffic from eastern Europe rose by 26.5 per cent in November compared with a year ago.
About 6.58 million passengers passed through Dubai International in November, a 9.4 per cent year-on-year increase.
Traffic in the first 11 months of last year reached 75.9 million passengers, up 7 per cent on a year earlier. Dubai International received 78 million passengers in 2015.
“Considering the seasonal rush of travellers we experienced at [Dubai International] during the holiday season in December, we are all set to achieve impressive annual growth yet again,” Paul Griffiths, the chief executive of operator Dubai Airports, said on Wednesday.
The expansion of Emirates and the budget carrier flydubai to new destinations is one of the reasons for year-on-year growth in passenger numbers.
“[The airlines’] growing route networks, as well as more air accords opened between the UAE and other countries, mean connectivity for one-stop travel is appealing,” said Saj Ahmad, an analyst at StrategicAero Research in London.
India was the top destination market for November as airlines such as Spice Jet, Jet Airways and Air India added capacity and services. Saudi Arabia came second, followed by the UK and Pakistan as the other main destination markets.
London, Doha, Mumbai and Riyadh were the top destination cities during the month.
The recovery in eastern European passenger numbers coincided with aggressive promotions targeting the region from hotels in the UAE, including those on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman.
Russian tourists are also making a comeback to the UAE, thanks to a stronger rouble. In Ras Al Khaimah, arrivals from Russia during the first 11 months of 2016 jumped by 17.1 per cent, according to the latest data from the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority. Tourist numbers from Russia in November increased by 53 per cent, it said.
Also in October two new charter flights from Poland operated by Enter Air and the European tour operator TUI were launched in the emirate.
Dubai International handled 234,743 tonnes of cargo during November, a year-on-year growth of 7.5 per cent, compared with the 218,323 tonnes recorded during the same month a year ago.
Freight volumes in the first 11 months of last year reached 2.36 million tonnes, an increase of 3.3 per cent, compared with 2.28 million tonnes a year earlier. The airport handled 2.5 million tonnes of cargo in 2015.
“Cheaper sea, road and rail movements and the decreased demand for on-time/next-day shipments has meant that air freight is simply not as appealing,” Mr Ahmad said.
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