UAE experiences air traffic growth in 2012

Air traffic in the United Arab Emirates experienced 6.6 percent growth over 2012, data recorded by airports and the Sheikh Zayed Air Navigation Centre reveal. 64,531 flights were recorded in December 2012, with an average of 2,031 flights per day. Dubai International Airport recorded 30,158 flights in the same month, followed by 12,940 transit flights and the Abu Dhabi Airport at a rate of 9,412. Air traffic over December was divided among Emirati airports as follows: 5,560 at Sharjah, 108 at Fujairah, 110 at Al Ain, 353 at Ram al-Khaimah and 886 flights at Al Maktoum. November 2012 saw the highest spike of air traffic in the year, reaching a total of 64,844 flights. August saw the biggest drop with 59,940 flights. The highest growth rate was in April, during which air traffic increased by 10.9 percent compared to April 2011. The director of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority [GCAA], Saif al-Suwaidi said the air traffic growth is down to "the prosperity in business and tourism in the Emirates, which has the qualities needed to attract businessmen and tourists from across the globe." Al-Suwaidi said "The state's policy enacted through the General Civil Aviation Authority of encouraging the singing of air transport agreements on the basis of open air spaces with countries in the region and the world and providing carriers with a competitive climate" were behind the growth.   Reports by the Sheikh Zayed Air Navigation Centre show a spike and exponential growth in air traffic over the past two decades, with the average daily air traffic going from 342 flights in 1986 to 2,031 in 2012. Many factors played a part in supporting the Sheikh Zayed Centre's efforts to manage the increasing air traffic. These include the establishment of an instant service [the first of its kind in the Middle East] providing crucial information to airspace users. Represented by the GCAA, the state will also take part in the International Civil Aviation Organization's [ICAO] twelfth conference, which will be held at the organisation's headquarters in Montreal, Canada. The conference, which is held every 10 years, is set to have the theme of open skies. The conference agenda includes developing guidelines and an action plan for a global regulatory framework, making it the most important aviation event in recent years.