Dubai named world’s fastest growing airport

Dubai International Airport is the fastest growing airport in the world, as measured by the annual seat capacity growth, according to the latest statistics from OAG, the aviation intelligence company.

The OAG FACTS (Frequency and Capacity Trend Statistics) report for April shows that 757,000 additional seats will be available from Dubai International compared to April last year.

The figures also show that the Gulf aviation hub has increased capacity by an average of 12% per year since 2004.

The second fastest growing airport in terms of seat capacity is Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International, which has added 552,000 seats over the last 12 months.

Istanbul Atatürk Airport, recently named the fastest growing airport of 2012 as measured by annual passenger numbers is placed third, having seen the number of seats rise by 529,000 between April 2012 and April 2013.

OAG executive vice president John Grant said: “Dubai International Airport’s consistent increase in capacity over the last decade has been largely driven by the growth of Dubai-based carrier Emirates.

“Over the last 12 months alone, the airline has added nine new destinations, which equates to nearly 22,000 additional seats every day.

“Capacity has also increased significantly on a number of existing routes, including the Dubai International-London Heathrow service, which became an all-A380 operation in December 2012.”

Indonesia’s Jakarta International Airport, which was initially designed to handle 22 million passengers but is currently operating at more than double that capacity, is fourth on the list of airports that have added the most seats over the last 12 months.

Mexico City International Airport completes the top-five, with just three carriers; Aeromexico, Interjet and Volaris accounting for 91% of the 458,000 seats that have been added since April 2012.

Grant added: “As airports in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific press ahead with capacity expansion plans, flag carriers and low-cost airlines will continue to add seats, meaning the east is very likely to continue to outstrip the west in terms of increasing overall seat capacity in the coming months and years.”

Last month, Dubai International Airport was confirmed as the world’s second busiest airport for passenger traffic, according to figures published by Airports Council International.

Dubai moved ahead of Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport for the first time. Since the start of the year, Dubai International has moved up two positions in the global rankings and now has London Heathrow’s title as the world’s busiest international airport firmly within its sights.

The OAG FACTS report for April also shows that worldwide airlines will operate 2% more flights and offer 3% more seats in April versus the same month last year. This means carriers will offer an extra 374,000 daily seats.