[smussuw]

by Rob Corder on Wednesday, 25 February 2009

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/images/magazines/arabianbusiness.com/web/Dubai-airport_thumb.jpg

TRAFFIC INCREASE: Dubai International Airport saw a six percent rise in passengers in January, compared to the same month in 2008. (Getty Images)

Traffic at Dubai International Airport climbed six percent in January as passengers undeterred by the financial crisis continued spending on flights, according to latest figures.

Last month, travellers passing through the hub reached 3,300,907 – up from 3,111,188 during the same period in 2008.

Airports Council International figures also show Dubai airport was the only hub among the world’s top 10 for passenger numbers to register “positive growth” during last year’s fourth quarter.

In October year-on-year growth reached 10.5 percent, before a sharp decline to 6.6 percent and 4.8 percent in November and December respectively.

In response to the hub’s passenger figures for January, Dubai Airport CEO Paul Griffiths said: “'Traffic has grown at a healthy rate throughout most of 2008 and the signs for 2009 remain positive despite the global downturn in traffic.

“This serves to reinforce Dubai's premier position as the most prolific regional and international hub for both business and leisure traffic. The Middle East continues to lead the world in demonstrating strong growth in aviation activity, despite difficult global economic conditions and Dubai takes the lead as the major contributor to that growth.”

In 2008, passenger figures climbed 9 percent on the previous year to 37.4 million passengers.

By this year’s second quarter, five additional carriers will fly to Dubai airport. Wataniya Airways and Mihin Lanka are already operating flights to the hub from their respective bases in Kuwait and Sri Lanka.

Elsewhere Kingfisher, Air Atlanta and Kabo Air will commence services to Dubai in the coming weeks.

Dubai airport is served by more than 120 airlines flying to some 200 destinations across six continents.

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/547982-dubai-airport-sees-6-rise-in-passengers-in-jan

[LucasS6]

Maybe it was all the people leaving?

[BroncoCSU05]

^ beat me to it. i was thinking the exact same thing when i read the thread title in the CE forum

[rs913]

Emirates Airlines just started nonstop service from SFO to Dubai a couple months ago, and has been advertising it all over the place, including the sides of buses.

I don't have any numbers, but I can't imagine that many people in the Bay Area are visiting Dubai these days, much less for vacation (rather than business), much less on a vacation inspired by an ad they saw on a bus.

[BTinSF]

My understanding is that Dubai is becoming the preferred air hub for a lot of flights in and out of both the Middle East and south/southeast Asia. In other words, it is handling a lot of passengers not actually going to Dubai or even the UAE, just as Atlanta didn't become the huge airport it is based only on passengers going to or from Atlanta.

[ThisSideofSteinway]

My understanding is that Dubai is becoming the preferred air hub for a lot of flights in and out of both the Middle East and south/southeast Asia. In other words, it is handling a lot of passengers not actually going to Dubai or even the UAE, just as Atlanta didn't become the huge airport it is based only on passengers going to or from Atlanta.

This is true. Pretty much every flight any of my in-laws have taken to Pakistan over the past few years have been through Dubai.

[dchan]

My understanding is that Dubai is becoming the preferred air hub for a lot of flights in and out of both the Middle East and south/southeast Asia. In other words, it is handling a lot of passengers not actually going to Dubai or even the UAE, just as Atlanta didn't become the huge airport it is based only on passengers going to or from Atlanta.

That's what I was thinking - Dubai is the new Memphis or Atlanta in terms of its airport being a major airline hub.

[glowrock]

No question that's true. Denver's another major hub, but not along the same lines of an Atlanta, that's for sure!

Aaron (Glowrock)

[rs913]

I'm not sure I get why Dubai is mentioned as having hub potential. From Europe to Asia, there are plenty of direct flights, and from the USA to Asia, you're better off going the Pacific route in most cases. The only logical connection I can see is if you're headed elsewhere in the Middle East, and even that seems shaky as other cities like Kuwait have direct service to the USA.

It does seem like Dubai is (or at least was, before the collapse) trying to get some "local" traffic. They didn't call it the Vegas of the Middle East for nothing.

[staff]

Great news for DXB! Hopefully it'll continue to rise despite what's going on.

[urbanfan89]

^^ Once people leave a place, they can't re-leave it.

[BTinSF]

I'm not sure I get why Dubai is mentioned as having hub potential. From Europe to Asia, there are plenty of direct flights, and from the USA to Asia, you're better off going the Pacific route in most cases. The only logical connection I can see is if you're headed elsewhere in the Middle East, and even that seems shaky as other cities like Kuwait have direct service to the USA.


I believe the issue is flights to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and maybe Afghanistan from eastern side of the Americas and from Europe.

But it's like other situations--not every airline runs a hub and spoke system, but for those that do, Dubai is increasingly the hub with spokes extending to the places mentioned.

[smussuw]

It does seem like Dubai is (or at least was, before the collapse) trying to get some "local" traffic. They didn't call it the Vegas of the Middle East for nothing.They? the only people I know who calls Dubai "the Vegas of the Middle East" are the one who haven't been there :haha:

[smussuw]

Dubai Airport will probably pass Singapore this year with over 40 million passengers. :banana:

[tayser]

Emirates just started their 3rd daily flight to Melbourne, the 4th is likely to coincide with one of the 2 non-stops which are currently operated by awesome A340-500s being upgraded to A380.

And yes DXB is fast becoming a preferred hub on the Kangaroo routes - Dubai is one stop from 20 odd NON-London European destinations from Melbourne, Sydney and Perth and 2 stops from Brisbane, Auckland and Christchurch.