Dubai:Â India continued to be the biggest destination for the Dubai International Airport, the world’s second busiest international airport hub, in 2013, according to a report.
India retained its top spot with 8,401,253 passengers, a year on year growth of 14.3 percent compared to 7,347,270 in 2012, according to the annual traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports Tuesday.
Britain came second with 5,099,843 passengers (+19 per cent) followed by Saudi Arabia at 4,825,114 (+34.2 per cent).
“It was truly a historic year for Dubai’s aviation sector highlighted by the successful opening of Concourse A, the world’s largest and only facility built for the Airbus A380,†Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, said in a statement.
The airport registered another banner year with annual passenger traffic reaching 66,431,533 in 2013, up 15.2 per cent compared to 57,684,550 recorded during 2012.
December last year was a record-breaking month when passenger numbers eclipsed the six million-mark for the first time.
In terms of destination cities served by Dubai International, Doha retained the top spot with 2,516,866 passengers (up 12.9 percent) followed closely by London with 2,494,555 passengers (up 24.1 percent) and Kuwait with 1,813,603 passengers (up 13.3 percent).
“2014 is set to be another eventful year, one featuring continued traffic growth, network expansion and the ongoing enlargement and upgrade of our facilities and runways,” Griffiths said.