|
DUBAI, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Passenger traffic at Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport surged 84.5 percent in 2016, the state news agency of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported on Tuesday.
The airport, also known as Dubai World Central (DWC), welcomed 850,633 passengers last year, up from 461,063 passengers in 2015, WAM reported, quoting the airport's operator, Dubai Airports.
Al Maktoum International Airport is Dubai's second international hub.
"After having emerged as one of the top 20 international cargo hubs, DWC is now growing steadily in stature as a passenger hub, and we are pleased with the growth in passenger traffic in 2016," said Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths.
DWC, located in southwest Dubai, opened for cargo traffic in June 2010 and for passenger traffic in October 2013.
Dubai's other international hub, Dubai International Airport, or DXB, is located in eastern Dubai.
Passenger traffic growth at DWC is mainly driven by the carrier flydubai, which operates on average 41 weekly flights to five destinations from DWC, in addition to its operations at Dubai International's Terminal 2.
Air freight volumes at DWC slightly increased in 2016 to 897,998 tons, up 0.8 percent compared with 890,912 tons in 2015.
Dubai Airports said last week that DXB recorded an annual traffic of 83.6 million passengers in 2016, up 7.2 percent year-on-year, solidifying its position as the world's busiest civil aviation hub.
The Dubai government is allocating a total of 35 billion U.S. dollars for the expansion of Al Maktoum International Airport.
Once completed, Al Maktoum aims to become the world's biggest civil aviation hub, with a capacity of handling 120 million passengers annually by 2025.
