São Paulo – Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, in the United Arab Emirates, is expecting to handle 471,432 passengers this year, 52% more than in 2015. Ras Al Khaimah Civil Aviation Department chairman Salem Bin Sultan Bin Saqr Al Qasimi said 2016 will be the airport’s best to date, with all-time high passenger numbers, aircraft movements and cargo throughput. The information was released this Wednesday (7) by Emirates News Agency (WAM).
From January to October, the airport handled 11,364 flights. Cargo throughput was 3,100 tons, up 98% from the comparable year-ago period. The amount could reach 3,700 tons by the end of 2016, which will mean an 88% increase over 2015.
Traffic numbers, however, pale in comparison to other airports across the country. The Dubai Airport, for one, saw 69.366 million travellers through October and might see 83 million by year-end.
According to Qasimi, reasons for the growth include new four-a-week flights by Qatar Airways, since February, and by Air India Express, as well as higher traffic from carrier Air Arabia to a number of destinations.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum