A 4.5 per cent year-on-year growth in passenger numbers in March helped Dubai International airport grow by 1.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2018, following a contraction in passenger volumes in January and February.

The airport processed 7.85 million passengers in March taking the total passenger traffic for the first quarter of the year to 22.74 million, up from 22.49 million in the corresponding period last year, latest data released by Dubai Airports reveals.

Passenger flights fell by 1.5 per cent in March and 1.8 per cent for the entire quarter, although Dubai Airports says the average passenger number per flight increased from 224 to 230.

Year-on-year, freight volumes also declined by 5.7 percent in March to reach 222,045 tonnes.

According to Dubai Airports, London topped the list of destination cities during the month of March with 348,434 passengers. Mumbai followed with 216,970 passengers and Bangkok with 208,873 passengers.

India remained the top destination country during March with a total of 1,043,580 passengers, followed by the UK (572,080 passengers); Saudi Arabia (566,292); Pakistan (389,090); and Germany (279,087).

Region-wise, Eastern Europe showed the highest increase in passenger numbers, growing by 29.8 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year. Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) grew most next, at 28.3 per cent.