Dubai Surges into World's Top Five Airports

September 14, 2009 10:07 a.m. EST

Dubai, UAE (TML) - Dubai International, the Middle East's largest airport, has seen exceptional growth in passenger and cargo volume in the first half of 2009, a sign that struggling city is withering the global economic downturn better than expected.

Dubai International saw a 12.6 percent increase in passenger traffic in July over the corresponding period last year. It was the second consecutive month of double-digit growth in passenger numbers following a 10.3 percent rise in June. Dubai's passenger and cargo traffic each grew by around 9 percent in 2008, making it the fastest growing major airport in the world, and with year to date traffic up 6.1 percent for the first seven months of 2009, Dubai is the only one of the world's top 20 airport's to have shown any growth in passenger numbers this year.

Analysts attribute the growth to government investment and competition. It's strategic location is also cited as a cause for growth. In such an optimistic atmosphere, Dubai expects to be handling over 45 million passengers next year.

While airport officials are predicting lower figures in August and September due to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, overall 2009 figures are expected to bring Dubai International to among the world's top five airlines. The Airport Council International's latest figures already put Dubai as the world's sixth busiest airport for international passengers, ahead of Amsterdam, Singapore and Tokyo.

Despite the global slowdown in international air cargo, in July Dubai logged a 1.9 percent increase in cargo volumes, making it the world's 4th busiest for international air cargo volumes, ahead of Tokyo, Shanghai and Frankfurt. The airport moved 874,828 tons of cargo in the first half of 2009, a year-on-year fall of only 0.76% compared with the average 22% global decline in international freight.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said a competitive tourism industry and government investment have been the keys to Dubai's success as a global gateway for air travel.

"The UAE government has taken a very proactive attitude towards aviation and they have consistently invested in aviation infrastructure so that our capacity is essentially limitless," he told The Media Line. "Coupled with that we have Emirates - a very strong airline based right here - that is constantly investing in its fleet and launching new routes. So now we are the only airport among the world's top 10 to be recording growth."

Griffiths said Dubai's unique location has given it a further edge.

"Around 40 percent of the world's population lives within four hours flying time of Dubai and 80 percent live within 12 hours," he said. "Furthermore, for long haul flights, if you draw a line between New York and Singapore, London and Sydney or Tokyo and Johannesburg, most of those lines go through the Middle East."

"We fly from seven airports in the UK," he said. "So if you're a local British traveler looking to get to Sydney, you could take a local flight to London and then have to change terminals, or simply fly through Dubai. It saves time and increases convenience."

Dubai International has been the Middle East's largest airport by a long margin for quite a few years now, and remains the region's only airport to appear among Airport Council International's top 30 airports for passenger traffic and cargo.

In October last year the airport opened a new $4.5 billion terminal which, at 0.58 square miles (1.5 square km), is the world's largest building by floor space.

Serving over 37 million passengers last year, Dubai Airports recently upgraded its projections for 2010 passenger growth to 13.6 percent, with total passenger traffic expected to reach 40.5 million by the end of 2009 and 46 million in 2010. Should that happen, Dubai would likely rise even higher in its global rankings.

Dubai International is the hub of Dubai's international airline Emirates Airline, the largest airline hub in both the Middle East and Africa. Emirates handles 60% of the airport's passenger traffic and accounts for 38% of all aircraft movements.

The city is opening a new airport, Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International, in June of next year. Once completed, the airport will be capable of handling seven million passengers and 600,000 tons of cargo each year.