Dubai airports set to handle 50% traffic of Middle East

Dubai airports will account for 50 per cent of the total capacity of 400 million passengers across airports in the Middle East over the coming years, according to Dubai Airports' top executive.

"The Middle East is forging ahead, and within the next few years the collective capacity of airports in the region will reach 400 million passengers, with Dubai constituting 50 per cent of the total," Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said yesterday at the opening of Dubai Airport Show.

He added that while global aviation growth rates have slowed to less than two per cent, the Middle East is clocking minimal growth rates of seven per cent.

"Dubai is surpassing both the world and the region, with growth rates between nine per cent and 19 per cent," he said.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Airports, said: "The Middle East is the only region to record growth in the aviation sector since the downward economic trend began late last year, and Dubai is driving much of that growth."

He added that in the last few weeks alone Dubai has announced significant advances, including Q1 passenger traffic volumes at Dubai International Airport exceeding 9.7 million – a two per cent growth on the same period last year.

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