Passenger numbers at Dubai World Central (DWC), Dubai’s second airport, grew by more than 35 per cent in the first half of the year, according to the traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports.
DWC welcomed 554,993 passengers in the first half of 2017 compared to 410,278 passengers during the first six months last year, a growth of 35.3 per cent. The first half numbers were boosted by consistent growth in the second quarter during which passenger traffic totalled 221,213, up 45.1 per cent compared to 152,465 during the same period in 2016. The top regions for DWC in terms of passenger volumes during the first half were Eastern Europe (207,798 passengers), the GCC (170,424), Western Europe (61,459) and the Indian subcontinent (55,785 passengers).
Flight movements during the first half totalled 18,371, down 11.1 per cent compared to 20,656* flight movements recorded during the corresponding period in 2016. The average passenger per flight movement during the first half was 121, up 34.4 per cent compared to 90 during the first six months of 2016.
Freight volumes at DWC totalled 443,835 tonnes during the first half compared to 430,132 tonnes recorded in the first six months of 2016, an increase of 3.2 per cent.
“Overall DWC performed well in the first half of the year with both scheduled and chartered carriers contributing to traffic volumes at the airport. DWC’s continuing growth as an important travel and logistics hub is driven by advantages the facility offers to both airlines and passengers – from easy availability of slots to quick turn-around times, access to new catchment area, and quick transit times for passengers,†said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.
DWC is currently served by 8 passenger carriers, operating an average of 95 flights weekly to 14 international destinations and is home to 26 scheduled cargo operators that fly to as many as 70 destinations around the world. DWC is undergoing a major expansion that will see its annual capacity increase from the existing 5 million passengers to 26 million passengers.
