Passenger traffic at the Dubai International airport reached 6.42 million in October, an increase of 2.7 per cent compared to the corresponding month in 2015.

This brings the airport passenger traffic for the first 10 months of 2016 to 69.37 million, which is 6.8 per cent higher compared with passenger traffic for the corresponding period in 2015.

This also means the airport is on track to achieve its target to reach 83 million passengers by end of the year, compared with 78 million in 2015, Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, said in a statement.

“…Dubai International is sure to retain its status as the leading airport worldwide for international passenger traffic,” Griffiths said.

Freight volumes at the airport rose by 9.5 per cent during the same period to reach 236,169 tonnes. This brings year-to-date air freight volume to a total of 2.13 million tonnes, up 2.8 per cent from 2.07 million tonnes during the first 10 months of 2015.

The airport’s passenger traffic forecast for 2016 was originally set at 85 million. The forecast revision is understood to reflect the general slowdown in travel demand due to the combination of strong US dollar, lower oil prices, and growing instability in certain key regions.