Total air traffic movements in UAE airspace reached 75,884 last month, according to the latest reports from the Sheikh Zayed Air Navigation Centre.

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, GCAA, announced that air traffic movements in the UAE witnessed a major increase of 16.8 percent in May compared with the same period of last year. This increase is partly due to the 80-day closure of two runways in Dubai International Airport. The GCAA monthly report indicated a total of 365,579 air traffic movements since the beginning of the year, which represents an overall increase of 9.48 percent compared to the same period of the last year.

Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, GCAA Director-General, said while the increase is partly due to the runway closure in Dubai Airports, air traffic movements witnessed a steady overall increase.

"This is a clear indication of the increasing demand for aviation services and increased number of passengers from and to UAE. We expect steady growth over the coming months," Al Suwaidi added.

The May report indicates that Dubai ranked first with 33,465 air traffic movements. Over-flights stood second at 13,059 air traffic movements. Abu Dhabi ranked third with 13,130 air traffic movements.

According to the report, air traffic movements in Sharjah International Airport came next with 5,872 movements. Local flights between UAE airports totalled 7,774 movements. Fujairah International Airport witnessed 82 movements, while Ras al-Khaimah International Airport had 347 air traffic movements and Al Ain Airport had 137 air traffic movements. Al Maktoum International Airport witnessed 2,018 movements