Dubai International Airport, DXB, welcomed a record 7.7 million passengers in August, eclipsing the previous record achieved in July, according to the monthly traffic report issued today by operator, Dubai Airports.

Passenger traffic at DXB reached 7,727,105 compared to 7,282,256 in the corresponding month last year, an increase of 6.1 percent. The year to date traffic totalled 55,850,353 passengers, up 6.9 percent compared to 52,264,223 in first eight months of 2015. The seasonal rush of travellers, in particular UAE residents returning for the start of the academic year, boosted the traffic leading to a bumper month.

Spurred by additional capacity and new services launched by a number of carriers including Emirates and flydubai, Eastern Europe was the fastest-expanding market in terms of percentage growth (67.9 percent), followed by Asia (13 percent), South America (11.7 percent), and the Indian Subcontinent (11.7 percent). India remained the top destination country (924,256 passengers), followed by the UK (584,508 passengers) and Saudi Arabia (535,280 passengers).

London was the top destination city with 371,320 passengers, followed closely by Doha (252,616 passengers) and Kuwait (240,712 passengers). Baku (+284.5 percent) topped the list of cities in terms of percentage growth, followed by Mashhad (118.6 percent) and Boston (88.2 percent).

The average number of passengers per flight during the month was 237, one of the highest DXB has ever seen.

Aircraft movements totalled 33,827 during the month compared to 34,773 movements in August 2015, marginally down by 2.7 percent. Year to date aircraft movement totalled 276,233, up 2.9 percent compared to 268,360 during the same period in 2015.

Dubai International handled freight totalling 201,100 tonnes in August compared to 207,427 tonnes in August 2015, a contraction of 3.1 percent. Year to date cargo reached 1,686,277 tonnes, up 2.4 percent compared to 1,645,815 tonnes recorded during the first eight months last year.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said, "Consecutive months with record breaking traffic is a great way to mark the 56th anniversary of DXB which occurred last week. Looking back, it’s astonishing to see how quickly a tiny airport that was once a refuelling stop for airlines has turned into the world’s number one international hub. Over these five and a half decades, DXB has welcomed more than three quarters of a billion passengers."

"As we continue to grow, our focus will continue to operate not only the world’s busiest airports but also the world’s best in terms of customer service," he added