The airport has been making ongoing progress despite a shortfall in capacity
Dubai International (DXB) saw a steady recovery of both customer numbers and cargo volume by the end of this year’s first quarter.
At the end of March, the airport had served 63% of destinations in 89% of countries compared with pre-pandemic figures.
Traveller numbers reached 5.75 million – a decline of 67.8% compared with the same time last year, which was largely unaffected by air traffic suspension at this point.
“Whilst passenger numbers for the first quarter remained significantly below the monthly volumes we handled before March 2020, in the context of the current global situation they are very encouraging and reflect the consolidation phase in our business recovery,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.
“Despite the ongoing challenges to air travel as the world continues to battle against the impact of the global pandemic, as an important hub, DXB will continue to play its role of enabling mobility and connectivity and contribute to the much needed social and economic recovery globally,” he added.
The cargo side has continued to recuperate, with the Middle Eastern hub handling a total of 550,811 tonnes of freight during the first three months of 2021, a 3.2% increase on last year.
Flight movements were still down by 38.3% compared with 2020, highlighting the impact the pandemic has on airline operations.
India managed to retain its position as the airport’s top destination, with the most popular city locations being New Delhi and Mumbai. Pakistan was second place, followed by Bangladesh and Russia.
