A total of 1.4 million passengers passed through Abu Dhabi International airport in July, according to Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC).

This marks a growth rate of 4.8 per cent in passenger traffic in July compared to the same month in 2012.

To-date in 2013, passenger numbers reached 9.34 million, rising by 11.4 per cent from the 8.38 million passengers recorded last year.

Cargo volumes also grew, rising by 26.6 per cent compared to July 2012. A total of 63,794 tonnes of cargo was moved.

The uptick in passenger numbers was partly as a result of a three new weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Nairobi operated by Kenya Airways. The flights started at the beginning of July.

Other key destinations in July were Bangkok, London, Manila, Jeddah and Doha.

The passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi did not rise as quickly compared to traffic at Dubai International. International passenger numbers rose by more than 6 per cent at Dubai’s main airport in July compared to the same month in 2012.