Dubai Airports reports drop in H1 traffic, but expects rebound

Dubai

DUBAI Airports reported a 41 per cent drop in first-half passenger traffic, while expressing confidence that fewer travel restrictions and coming events will stoke rising activity through year-end.

The number of people passing through the world's largest airport by international traffic fell to 10.6 million, as the airport served 68 per cent of its pre-pandemic destinations, the state-owned company said in a statement on Wednesday.

With Expo 2020 Dubai starting in October after a one-year delay and the Dubai Airshow set for November, "we are gearing up for a massive in-rush of visitors to the United Arab Emirates in the next couple of months," chief executive officer Paul Griffiths said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

"I think the rebound in traffic for the second half will be much greater than we've seen in the first half," he said, adding that the biggest demand will come from point-to-point traffic "particularly the UK."

Britain last week moved the UAE to medium-risk status from high, removing a requirement for hotel quarantine on entry.

The UAE separately lifted a ban on transit passengers from some countries in the Indian subcontinent, unlocking key destinations for the Middle East's trade and travel hub that relies heavily on connecting passengers around the globe.

Mr Griffiths said the UAE is also "pushing" for the UK and other countries to accept overseas vaccines. Britain currently only recognises jabs administrated in Europe and the United States.

Dubai Airports - home to Emirates, the world's biggest long-haul airline before the pandemic - saw some of its busiest weekends in July at the peak of the summer season and is expecting to handle more than one million passengers between Aug 12-22 as summer holidays end. BLOOMBERG