UAE air traffic hits new heights despite turmoil

Air traffic movement in the UAE recorded a 7.6 per cent jump in 2011 over the previous year despite global challenges. The country's airports reported steady increases in traffic during the year, according to data released by the Shaikh Zayed Air Navigation Centre. The number of flights in December topped 61,197, with an average of 1,974 flights per day, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said yesterday in a statement. It added that Dubai International Airport occupied the top slot with 28,223 flights and 13,233 overflights. Abu Dhabi International Airport recorded 8,686 flights. Capacity expansion "The figures support the basis for expanding both Dubai International Airport and also Abu Dhabi as Emirates and Etihad look for new growth opportunities and it's likely that this sort of strong performance will provide a greater emphasis to speed up development for additional airport capacity at DWC-Al Maktoum International Airport too," said Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research. UAE airports are likely to experience further growth in traffic, according to Ahmad. "For 2012, we are likely to see the continued upward trajectory of both airplane movements and passenger traffic as new jets are inducted and new routes opening up — not just from legacy carriers like Emirates, but also at the other end of the scale where the likes of flydubai have been expanding at a near meteoric pace," he told Gulf News. Meanwhile, according to the Shaikh Zayed Air Navigation Centre report, January 2011 saw the highest percentage increase — 10.3 per cent — in air traffic, the GCAA stated. "What's clear from these annual figures is that despite the global economic pressures, the UAE's intrinsic support and development of its aviation policy is yielding significant economic and business returns for the country, especially to emirates like Dubai, where Emirates has been growing rapidly for more than a decade," Ahmad said. Breakdown Meanwhile, the distribution of air traffic over the other UAE airports was as follows: 5,522 flights at Sharjah International Airport; 186 at Fujairah International Airport; 84 at Al Ain Airport; 555 at Ras Al Khaimah Airport, and 495 flights at the DWC-Al Maktoum International Airport, according to the GCAA. "The remarkable increase in air traffic movement in the UAE is attributed to the prosperity of business and tourism in the country," Saif Mohammad Al Suwaidi, director-general of the GCAA, said in a statement. "[The] UAE possesses all necessary factors to attract business people and tourists from around the globe." Agreements He added that the adopted policy of the UAE government of encouraging the signing of Air Service Agreements on the basis of open skies with countries in the region and across the world, and providing a competitive environment for airlines, translated into an increased number of registered companies and a surge in air traffic.