Tag Archives: Dubai International

Dubai Airports and China Eastern celebrated the announcement of three weekly non-stop flights between Shanghai and Dubai International (DXB) at an event in Dubai recently. Scheduled to begin on September 17, the non-stop services are an addition to China Eastern’s three existing flights between Shanghai and Dubai with a stopover in Kunming, the capital city of China’s Yunnan province. The new services will offer customers greater choice and facilitate ease of travel between the two destinations. A top trading partner for the UAE, China is a major contributor to DXB’s traffic with more than 2.2 million travellers in 2017. China Eastern’s association with DXB goes back to 2010 when it commenced service between Dubai and Kunming via Dhaka. As part of the event, Eugene Barry, Executive Vice President of Dubai Airports’ Commercial Group, presented a certificate of appreciation to Randy Cui, General Manager (UAE) of China Eastern, for the carrier’s role in boosting UAE-China connectivity through a strong partnership with Dubai Airports.

Dubai International (DXB) welcomed 36.9 million passengers during the first five months of 2018, according to the monthly traffic report by Dubai Airports. DXB welcomed a total of 36,943,613 passengers during the first five months of 2018 compared to 36,969,594 passengers recorded during the same period last year, a marginal contraction of 0.1%, largely due to the impact of Ramadan which fell in May this year. Passenger traffic for the past 12 months totalled 88,216,118, up 2.6% compared to 85,974,096 recorded during the corresponding period in 2016-2017. In May, passenger numbers totalled 6,589,264 compared to 6,850,052 recorded during the same month last year, a contraction of 3.8% due to lower volumes traditionally experienced during Ramadan. Average monthly traffic volumes have however remained high in 2018 at 7.4 million passengers. Eastern Europe was the fastest growing region in May with 19.4% growth, thanks to robust growth on routes to Croatia, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania and the launch of flydubai’s new services to Krakow in Poland. CIS was the second fastest region (11.3%), followed by Africa (9.9%) – where Nigeria and Egypt recorded strong growth during the month. India was the top destination country with a total of 1,041,258 passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia (495,242), and the UK (429,893), while the top cities for passenger volumes were London with 262,913 passengers, Mumbai (213,056) and Jeddah (179,756). Flight movements during the month under review totalled 32,620 compared to 34,544 during May 2017, a drop of 5.6%. The hub’s efficiency increased as the average number of passengers per flight was 209 during May, up 2% compared to 205 during the same month last year.

Passengers travelling through Dubai International (DXB) can now virtually explore Dubai and experience the wide array of offerings available, as a new, technologically-advanced digital installation has been set up in Terminal 3, Concourse A, that creates and sends to passengers a tailor-made two-day Dubai itinerary based on the passengers’ interests and preferred experiences via email. Launched by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), in collaboration with Dubai Airports and Emirates Airline, the activation, titled ‘MyDubai Experience’ in reference to the emirate’s hugely successful local advocacy movement, is designed to provide a futuristic and innovative way for travellers to discover and learn more about the city without setting foot outside the airport. The ultimate goal is to inspire the millions of transit passengers passing through DXB to revisit Dubai in the near future by showing them everything they can experience during a holiday in the city. Located in one of the busiest parts of the terminal and measuring an impressive 6 metres in height and 4 metres in diameter, the new installation comprises state-of-the-art LED tiles positioned to create five 360-degree rings, each exhibiting a variety of photographic, video, social media and user-generated content that has been carefully curated to draw the attention of passers-by and optimally showcase the Dubai proposition. The rings can either work together to produce a single large visual, or operate independently to create a collage depicting a multitude of different Dubai experiences and offerings.

In a move to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency at security check points at Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC), Dubai Airports together with Dubai Police General Department of Dubai Security signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Dubai with the International Air Travel Association (IATA) and Airports Council International (ACI) to become part of their joint initiative on Smart Security. The Security initiative aims to bring specific and measurable improvements in security effectiveness, operational efficiency and passenger experience at airport security checkpoints through better use of technology, process innovation, and the use of risk-based security concepts. The MoU will pave way for Dubai Airports, together with airlines, control authorities, regulators and solution providers, to benefit from the knowledge and lessons gained through trials and research activities at other participating airports. “We manage the world’s busiest international airport with more than 90 million passengers passing through our facilities annually. To achieve our vision of being the best in customer experience as well as to provide the capacity to accommodate ongoing and future growth, it is imperative that we look to new technologies and processes to significantly reduce wait times and avoid queuing wherever possible. Our participation in the Smart Security initiative of IATA and ACI is a big step in that direction,” said Buti Qurwash, Vice President of Security, Dubai Airports.

Dubai Airports has confirmed plans to close Dubai International’s (DXB) southern runway for a 45-day period in 2019 to conduct a comprehensive upgrade designed to boost safety, service and capacity levels. The upgrade work is scheduled to take place from April 16 to May 30 when passenger traffic historically ebbs due to a seasonal lull. The southern runway refurbishment project will involve the placement of approximately 60,000 tonnes of asphalt and 8,000m3 of concrete to strengthen and resurface the runway and the adjacent taxiways. While ongoing runway maintenance is scheduled on a weekly basis, more extensive upgrades require a complete closure of the runway. Dubai Airports will also use the opportunity to install 800 km of primary cables and replace over 5,500 runway lights with more modern, economic and environment friendly technology. Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports said, “In the months ahead, we will be working closely with Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, airlines and other stakeholders to ensure we optimise service and capacity during this period next year and minimise the impact on our customers. While we regret any inconvenience this may cause to our airline customers and passengers, these upgrades are absolutely necessary to heighten safety, boost capacity and pave the way for future growth.”

According to the latest report issued by Dubai Airports, passenger traffic at Dubai International (DXB) exceeded 7.9 million in January. DXB welcomed a total of 7,960,146 passengers in January, a small reduction of 1 per cent compared to 8,037,008 recorded in January 2017 when passenger volumes were boosted due to Chinese New Year which fell in February this year. South America was the top region in terms of percentage growth during the month (22.6%), followed by CIS (19.7%) – with a bulk of the increase resulting from the surge on routes like Moscow, Baku, and Kazan among others, and Africa (6.4%) propelled by the launch of new services by Med View and Emirates on routes to Abuja and doubling of Emirates’ services to Lagos. “With passenger numbers nearing 8 million during the first month of the year, we’ve had a very encouraging start to 2018,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports. “What’s even more encouraging is that processes and technologies we have implemented recently are creating a smoother experience for our customers despite the high traffic volumes.” In terms of passenger numbers, routes to the Indian subcontinent topped the list with 1,100,477 passengers followed by Saudi Arabia (650,822 passengers), and the UK (547,286 passengers). London was the top destination city with 333,286 passengers, followed by Kuwait (231,956 passengers) and Mumbai (225,776 passengers).

Dubai International (DXB) retained its position as the world’s number one airport for international passengers for the fourth consecutive year with annual traffic for 2017 reaching 88.2 million passengers, according to the annual traffic report issued by Dubai Airports. Propelled by high traffic volumes averaging 7.35 million passengers per month throughout the year, including the record months of January, July and August when traffic breached the 8-million passenger mark, DXB’s traffic reached 88,242,099 passengers for the full year, up 5.5 per cent compared to 83,654,250 passengers recorded during 2016. The airport welcomed 7,854,657 passengers in December, up 1.9 per cent compared to 7,706,351 recorded in the same month in 2016. India continued its domination run as the single largest destination country for DXB with 12,060,435 passengers in 2017, up 5.4 per cent compared to 11,440,215 passengers recorded in 2016. The UK claimed the second spot with 6,466,404 passengers (+6.7 per cent), overtaking Saudi Arabia which recorded 6,364,598 passengers (4.6 per cent). Top regions in terms of percentage growth in 2017 were South America (36.1 per cent), Eastern Europe (25.3 per cent) and Asia (17.9 per cent)–mainly spurred by network expansion by Emirates, flydubai and other carriers.

As the vacation season draws closer, Dubai International (DXB) is celebrating with an array of promotions and seasonal activities as it is set to welcome as many as 8 million passengers in December. Predicting the busiest travel days, the airport is encouraging those flying between December 15-23 to reach the airport with plenty of time to spare. This festive period will also offer passengers amazing discounts on activities, services, dining and quick bites through all terminals. Passengers can claim three free vouchers by searching for ‘EarlyBirdsDXB’ on Facebook Messenger and chatting directly with Santa. For those travelling from Terminal 3, the brand-new Winter Wonderland DXB is the perfect way to get in the festive spirit just moments before jumping on a plane. Staff levels will be augmented during peak periods and airport operational teams will use the latest sensor technology to constantly monitor passenger flows, allowing staff to be deployed quickly to avoid delays and long queues. UAE nationals can use the smart gates, enabling them to avoid queuing at passport control and travel through quickly and efficiently with their Emirates ID.

Dubai International (DXB) welcomed more than 7.6 million passengers in April 2017 according to the monthly traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports. Passenger numbers reached 7,622,946 in April, up by 9.2 per cent, compared to 6,979,063 recorded during the same month in 2016. Following four months of robust growth, the year-to-date traffic reached 30,119,542 compared to 27,926,958 passengers during the corresponding period last year, an increase of 7.8 per cent. “The growth at DXB has been very satisfying in the first four months of the year, and with the Islamic festival of Eid Al Fitr coinciding with the start of the summer holidays next month, we are confident the numbers will boost our performance in the first half,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

Passenger traffic at the world’s number one airport for international passenger numbers, Dubai International (DXB), climbed 7.4 per cent during the first quarter of 2017 to 22,496,596 compared to 20,948,690 recorded during the same period last year, according to traffic results released by Dubai Airports.  The year to date totals follow March results which saw a 3.8 per cent increase in passenger numbers to 7,511,431 compared to 7,237,509 reported in March 2016. The more modest growth rate in March was due to the timing of the Easter holiday which fell during March in 2016 and during April in 2017. The number of passenger flights in March grew 1.0 percent to 34,634 compared to 34,303 last year while year-to-date flight numbers were up 0.5 percent to 100,638 compared to 100,116 recorded during the first quarter of 2016. The average number of passengers per flight in the first three months of the year was 224, compared to 209 during the corresponding period in 2016, an increase of 6.8 per cent. During the first three months of the year, Eastern Europe was the fastest expanding market in terms of percentage growth (33.3 per cent) as the appreciation of the ruble against the US dollar over the past year has increased spending power in Dubai and spiked demand in the Russian market. Asia was the next fastest growing market (22.6 per cent) which benefited from additional capacity provided by Emirates and flydubai in markets such as Thailand, China and the Philippines, followed by South America (22.2 percent). Conversely, the impact of travel bans and electronic device restrictions is starting to be felt on North American traffic figures, which were down 4.3 per cent during …