Dubai World Central airport (also known as Al Maktoum International) has reported a surge in passenger numbers in the first quarter of 2016.
Traffic was up 79.8 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2015, with a total of 257,813 passengers using the airport in the first three months of this year.
Operator Dubai Airports said that the “sharp increase in passenger traffic was spurred by demand on routes served by major carriers including Flydubai and Qatar Airways among others and increased frequencies in 2016”.
The airport is currently served by 16 carriers, with around 190 flights per week to 25 international destinations. Low-cost carrier Flydubai is scheduled to move its entire operations to the facility by the end of 2017.
Dubai World Central recently announced plans for the expansion of services within its passenger terminal building, as the facility aims to handle up to 26.5 million passengers per year by 2025 (see news March 23).
Last month Dubai Airports reported that traffic at its main Dubai International airport reached 7.2 million passengers in March this year, a 7.4 per cent increase on the same period in 2015, and keeping the airport on target to reach 85 million passengers this year.
Mark Caswell
