Latest air traffic figures at Dubai International (DXB) have been described as “very encouraging” despite being well down on pre-Covid levels.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said the latest numbers “reflect the consolidation phase in our business recovery” from the global pandemic.
“Whilst passenger numbers for the first quarter remained significantly below the monthly volumes we handled before March 2020, in the context of the current global situation they are very encouraging,” he said in a statement.
“Despite the ongoing challenges to air travel as the world continues to battle against the impact of the global pandemic, as an important hub, DXB will continue to play its role of enabling mobility and connectivity and contribute to the much needed social and economic recovery globally,” Griffiths (pictured below) added.
DXB ended the first quarter of the year on a relatively positive note, registering a gradual but steady recovery in both customer numbers and cargo volumes.
By the end of Q1, DXB said it served 63 percent of the destinations in 89 percent of the countries on 74 percent of the airlines compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Boosted by passenger numbers breaching the 2 million mark in March, DXB’s passenger volumes for the first quarter this year reached 5.75 million.
This translates to a contraction of 67.8 percent compared to Q1 2020, which was largely unaffected by the pandemic related suspension of operations by airlines and airports worldwide towards the end of March.
Cargo, which has shown more resilience compared to the passenger segment throughout the pandemic, continued its strong recovery despite the reduction in belly-hold capacity.
DXB said it handled a total of 550,811 tonnes of airfreight during the first three months of 2021, a year on year increase of 3.2 percent.
Total flight movements during the first quarter totalled 50,176, down 38.3 percent from last year reflecting the impact of the pandemic on airline operations.
India, which is traditionally a strong market for the UAE, retained its position as DXB’s top destination country with traffic for Q1 reaching 1,384,448, followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh and Russia.
The top three cities were New Delhi, Dhaka and Addis Ababa.
Follow us on
