Air traffic movement up 7.6% in 2011

Air Traffic movement in UAE grew 7.6 per cent to 693,389 in 2011. The total number of air traffic movement during last December reached 61197, with an average of 1,974 movements per day. Dubai International Airport came first with a total of 28,223 air traffic movement in December 2011, followed by over flights with 13,233 movements, and Abu Dhabi airport with 8,686 air traffic movements. The distribution of air traffic movement over the remaining airports went as follows: 5,522 air traffic movements at Sharjah Airport, 186 at Fujairah Airport, 84 at Al Ain Airport, 555 at Ras Al Khaimah Airport and 495 air traffic movements at Al Maktoum Airport. Shaikh Zayed Air Navigation Center report indicates that January 2011 saw the highest percentage in terms of increase in air traffic, where there was an increase by 10.3. That is, a daily average of 1846 air traffic movement compared to an average of 1673 in the same month in 2010. The month of September 2012 witnessed a significant increase compared to 2010, as well, reaching 9.7 increase in air traffic movement - 1926 in 2011 compared to 1756 during September 2010-. “The remarkable increase in air traffic movement in UAE is attributed to the prosperity of business and tourism in the country, UAE possesses all necessary factors to attract business people and tourists from around the globe.” said Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). “UAE’s government, represented by the General Civil Aviation Authority, adopted a policy to encourage the signing of Air Service Agreements on the basis of open skies with countries of the region and the world, and to provide a competitive environment for airlines. This is translated in the increased number of registered companies and a hike in the number of air traffic movement,” Al Suwaidi added. Highest number of air traffic movement in a single month last year was in October with a total of 61,705 air traffic movements. A quick look at the reports of the Sheikh Zayed Air Navigation Center shows a boom in air traffic during the last decade, where 2001 scored a daily average of air traffic movement of 736 compared to a daily average of 1,900 in 2011. The GCAA is the first air navigation service provider in the Middle East to publish aeronautical information (AIP) electronically, using the Comsoft AIXM 5.1 database.