Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport increased 9.2 percent to reach a record 40.9 million in 2009, making it one of the world’s fastest growing hubs despite the economic downturn. Traffic growth accelerated throughout the year hitting its highest rise of 14.5 percent in December. The increase was driven by a substantial capacity expansion by Emirates Airline, the introduction of Dubai’s low cost carrier flydubai, and lower ticket prices.
Saeed al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and also chief executive of Emirates Airline, said the results were exceptionally good given the contraction in traffic around the globe. He said “If we can set the records in a tough economic environment the sky is the limit for what we can achieve when conditions improve.” According to Airports International, Dubai International was one of four hubs among the top 50 to report positive passenger growth during the first nine months of the year. The other hubs were Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul, and Cairo. The airport projects international passenger traffic will increase by 13.6 percent this year to reach 46 million passengers.
