Dubai International Airport (DXB) welcomed a record 7.7 million passengers in August, eclipsing its previous record achieved in July, according to the monthly traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports.
Passenger traffic at DXB reached 7,727,105 compared to 7,282,256 recorded in the corresponding month last year, an increase of 6.1%. The year to date traffic totalled 55,850,353 passengers – up 6.9% compared to 52,264,223 recorded during the first eight months of 2015. The seasonal rush of travellers, in particular UAE residents returning for the start of the academic year, boosted the traffic leading to a bumper month. 
Spurred by additional capacity and new services launched by a number of carriers including Emirates and flydubai, Eastern Europe was the fastest-expanding market in terms of percentage growth at 67.9% followed by Asia at 13%, South America at 11.7 % and the Indian Subcontinent at 11.7%. India remained the top destination country with 924,256 passengers, followed by the UK – 584,508 passengers and Saudi Arabia with 535,280 passengers.
London was the top destination city with 371,320 passengers followed closely by Doha (252,616 passengers) and Kuwait (240,712 passengers). Baku (+284.5%) topped the list of cities in terms of percentage growth, followed by Mashhad (118.6%) and Boston (88.2%) – growth on the routes boosted by increased capacity.
The average number of passengers per flight during the month was 237 – one of the highest DXB has ever seen.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said: “Consecutive months with record breaking traffic is a great way to mark the 56th anniversary of DXB which occurred last week. Looking back it’s astonishing to see how quickly a tiny airport that was once a refuelling stop for airlines has turned into the world’s number one international hub. Over these five and a half decades, DXB has welcomed more than three quarters of a billion passengers.”
“As we continue to grow, our focus will continue to operate not only the world’s busiest airports but also the world’s best in terms of customer service,” he added.
