Dubai International airport recorded more than 4.7 million passengers in July, a 9.7 per cent rise on figures achieved in July 2010.

The airport handled 4.3 million passengers in July last year.          

Traffic to the airport in the first seven months of the year stand at just under 29.3 million passengers compared to 26.8million in 2010.

The largest regional traffic growth in July was recorded on routes to the GCC, India, Western Europe and North America. The largest growth was seen on travel to and from Saudi Arabia, the US and Qatar.

Total aircraft movements in July totalled 27,166, a 4.2 per cent from the 26,065 recorded in the previous year. Year-to-date aircraft movements stand at 317,664, a 6.8 per cent rise on the 297,355 posted during the first seven months of 2010.

In terms of freight, volumes dipped 2.7 per cent in July, with Dubai International handling 192,538 tonnes of freight compared to 197,845 tonnes in 2010.

“This latest milestone further illustrates Dubai International’s emergence as a preeminent global hub,” says Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports. “Not only did we set a new record, we surpassed the previous high point by more than 400,000 passengers.”

Dubai International is aiming for 51 million passengers by the end of 2011 (MEED 4:5:11).