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Dubai: Dubai International Airport reported an 18 per cent rise in passengers in the first half of 2007, propelling it to become the world's tenth biggest airport by international traffic.
The latest figures by Airports Council International reveal Dubai occupies the number 10 spot for the last 12 months ending in March, behind Bangkok and just ahead of Seoul, South Korea.
In its half-yearly report, Dubai airport revealed strong growth, handling 16.2 million passengers in the first half of 2007, up from 13.2 million during the year-earlier period. Cargo also saw double-digit growth, carrying 11 per cent more freight.
Reflecting a regional boom in air traffic - the International Air Transport Association said Middle East airlines grew 18.2 per cent from January through May - the Dubai figures reflect seven years of strong growth for the airport and its biggest airline, Emirates.
"We have been registering an average annual growth of over 15 per cent, so the first half this year is very satisfying," said Shaikh Ahmad bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation and chairman and CEO of Emirates Group.
January and March were the two busiest months for travellers, which numbered 2.8 million in each month. April and May meanwhile saw the highest growth rates, each seeing 20 per cent gains.
The airport said aircraft movements grew by 9.5 per cent, handling a total of 127,500 flights during the six months ending June 2007, compared with 116,500 from January to June 2006. January, the busiest month, alone handled nearly 22,000 flights, a jump of 11 per cent.
In the second half of the year, airport movements should rise with the second runway being put into service.
In addition, the opening of Terminal 3 and Concourse 2 by mid-2008 will increase airport capacity and enable further growth, said Mohammad Bin Ahmad Al Tayer, vice-president at Dubai Civil Aviation.
Mohammad Ahli, director-general of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and CEO of Dubai Air Traffic Services, said Dubai Airport's emergence as a global hub meant strict vigilance was needed to effectively manage growth. "We have to be prepared not just with an expanded capacity but efficient utilisation of our facilities," he said in a release.
Facility likely to get ADS system
Dubai International Airport plans to purchase a multi-million dollar satellite-based air traffic system, officials said.
"We are planning to acquire the Automatic Dependence Surveillance (ADS), a satellite-based system widely used in the developed countries in the West, which allows the Dubai Air Traffic Services (ATS) to track air traffic even beyond the range of their radars," said Mohammad Ahli, Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and CEO of ATS.
The US Federal Aviation Administration plans to implement the new technology between 2009 and 2013 throughout its national airspace system.
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