UAE airports handle 71.75m passengers, 2.16m tonne cargo in H1

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has announced that the passenger traffic at the UAE’s airports surged by 14.2% in the first half of 2024.

During this period, the airports handled over 71.75 million passengers, compared to 62.79 million in the same timeframe last year, it stated.

The significant growth in the aviation sector was mainly due to the continued investment in infrastructure development and regulatory enhancements, as well as advancing digital transformation in civil aviation, said Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the GCAA.

Al Suwaidi pointed out that the competitive performance and international reputation of UAE national carriers are reflected in these growth indicators.

“We are optimistic about the future, and the country is taking planned steps to further expand and grow in this vital sector. We are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safety and security, adopting new technologies to enhance the passenger experience, and establishing the country as a key hub for air transport in the region and a major player in the global aviation network,” he added.

According to him, GCAA is working with federal and local partners, as well as national carriers, to explore and develop cooperative relationships in air transport with existing markets as well as to identify opportunities for entering new markets.

GCAA, he stated, has successfully signed air transport agreements with over 90 percent of the world’s countries and remains dedicated to advancing development and expansion plans to boost the competitive standing of the UAE’s civil aviation sector on the global stage.

In detail, the number of arrivals in UAE airports during the first half of the year was 20,274,694 passengers, departures totaled 21,090,750 passengers, and transit passengers numbered 30,391,978.

Air cargo traffic in the first half of the year reached 2,162,786 tonnes, comprising 528,430 tons of imports, 245,217 tonnes of exports, and 1,389,136 tons of transit cargo. National carriers accounted for 68% of the total air cargo traffic, said GCAA in its report.

Regarding overall air traffic, the total movements for the first half of the year reached 499,789 movements, with an overall growth rate of 11.8% compared to the same period last year. February recorded the highest growth in air traffic movements, with a growth rate of 15% compared to the same month last year, it added.