In 2016, the passenger flow of Dubai International Airport amounted to 83.6 million passengers, which allowed the air hub to remain the busiest international airport in the world.
The annual passenger flow through the terminals of the Dubai International Airport in 2016 increased by 7.2% compared to last year and reached 83.6 million people, the operator of Dubai airport reports. Thus, he retained the status of the busiest international airport in the world.
In 2016, growth was facilitated by the addition of 11 new passenger destinations by local carriers, including Emirates and Flydubai. Indian SpiceJet, Jet Airways and Air India have also opened service for new routes at Dubai International Airport, while Nepal Airlines and Russian carrier Rossiya Airlines have launched flights to Dubai.
As a result, in December 2016 alone, passenger traffic increased by 9.3% to 7.7 million people.
Dubai overtook London Heathrow in terms of congestion in international transportation in 2014. Heathrow finished the past year with an indicator of 76 million passengers, with an increase of 1%. However, data on Heathrow include domestic traffic, while almost all recorded information in Dubai relates to international flights.
However, according to Reuters estimates, annual growth rates were among the lowest for Dubai Airport over the past 8 years. Passenger traffic is projected at 89 million for 2017, which will indicate a growth of 6.5%, said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.
The hub will expand in 2016 and, according to the results, will be able to serve up to 90 million passengers a year. By 2023, throughput should be increased to 118 million people.
India remains the main destination from Dubai. In 2016, 11.4 million passengers traveled along Indian routes, indicating an increase of 10.1%.
Freight volumes grew 3.4% to 2.6 million tons, despite declines in the third quarter of the year.
