Dubai airport passenger volumes slump 40pc

Dubai International Airport reported Wednesday a 41 per cent drop in traffic in the first half of 2021, but said it anticipates “robust growth” after the easing of travel restrictions. 

The number of passengers that passed through the world’s largest airport for international travel fell to 10.6 million in the first six months of 2021, according to a statement from the Dubai Media Office. 

In the first quarter of last year, the airport had welcomed 17.8 million passengers before it temporarily suspended commercial flights in the second quarter to curb the spread of the coronavirus. 

“Dubai Airports is projecting robust growth for Dubai International in the second half of the year,” the statement said. 

The emirate, one of the seven that make up the UAE, was one of the first destinations to reopen to tourism in July last year. 

It became a magnet for visitors escaping dreary winter weather and stringent Covid-19 restrictions.

The UAE launched a vaccination campaign in December and has inoculated 72 per cent of its nearly 10 million population.