Dubai sees double digit passenger growth in Aug

Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport grew by more than 10 percent in August, following double digit growth in the previous two months, it was announced on Monday.

The airport saw a 10.7 percent jump in passenger numbers last month, compared to increases of 10.3 percent in June and 12.6 percent in July, Dubai Airports Company said in a statement.

Dubai International handled a total of 3,729,879 passengers in August compared to 3,368,260 during the same period last year.

The airport’s monthly passenger throughput exceeded the 3.7 million mark for the second time this year, following the record-breaking 3.76 million passengers recorded in July.

Consistent growth during the first eight months of 2009 has seen the year to date passenger traffic reach 26,878,331, compared to 25,182,526 for the corresponding period in 2008, an increase of 6.7 percent.

Dubai continues to buck the global downturn in passenger traffic which has seen a seven percent contraction year-to-date.

Despite the global downturn, Dubai International is also holding on to its position among the world’s top five hubs for international cargo volumes.

Dubai Airports Cargo handled a total of 163,427 tonnes of air freight in August 2009 compared to 158,714 tonnes in August 2008, up 2.9 percent.

On Sunday, Abu Dhabi Airports Company announced that passenger traffic grew by 2.5 percent in August.

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