Passenger traffic on rise at Dubai World Central

Dubai World Central (DWC) passenger traffic surged 26.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2018. DWC welcomed 119,000 customers during the period bringing the total number of customers welcomed this year to 637,176 (-1.9%).

The top regions contributing to customer numbers at DWC include Western Europe (40,349 passengers) and Eastern Europe (38,740 passengers). Some of the top destination cities during the third quarter were Beirut (20,566 passengers), Amman (16,216 passengers), and Katowice (10,247 passengers).

Flight movements during Q3 totalled 5,742 (-11.7%). A total of 21,811 flights have taken-off or landed at DWC (-12.3%) so far this year. In Q3 a total of 254,421 tonnes of airfreight moved through DWC (-2.5%), bringing the year to date cargo tonnage to 729,611 (+3.5%).

DWC is the world's 22nd busiest hub by international freight volume according to the Airports Council International (ACI). The outlook for passenger traffic at DWC in Q4 is positive, thanks to the seasonal rush of tourists typically seen during the winter months, as well as the launch of new services from scheduled and charter carriers.

Also contributing to the positive outlook is the recent launch of daily scheduled flights to Moscow by Aeroflot while Pegas Fly (Ikar Airlines) commenced charter services from multiple destinations in Russia. Following the launch of flights by Aeroflot and Pegas Fly, the number of international passenger airlines serving DWC has increased to 10. The airlines operate an average of 21 weekly flights to six international destinations. DWC is also home to 20 cargo operators that fly to as many as 45 destinations around the world.