Dubai International Airport on Wednesday said it recorded a 3.1 per cent decline in its 2019 passenger traffic.
The airport blamed the decline on a temporary closure of one of its runways and the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
The airport saw 86.4 million travellers in 2019, which was 3.1 per cent fewer than in 2018.
Despite the decline, it maintained its position as the busiest hub for international travel for the sixth consecutive year, with “6 million more than the nearest rival London Heathrow,’’ Dubai airport said in a statement.
The decline was due to “a series of challenges,’’ the airport said, including a 45-day closure of one of its runways and the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max in March 2019 after two crashes with a total of 346 fatalities.
Since India remains the top destination for travellers going through Dubai airport the bankruptcy of India’s Jet Airways also affected passenger traffic.
