Al Maktoum International Airport said passenger traffic fell in the first quarter of the year but expects numbers to improve in the second quarter as Dubai International faces capacity constraints due to a 45-day runway closure. Dubai's second hub, known as DWC, handled 326,680 passengers in the first three months of 2019, down 2.3 per cent year-on-year because of charter flight fluctuations, operator Dubai Airports said in a statement. The number of flights reduced 3.2 per cent to 7,899 flights. "Passenger volumes at DWC are expected to spike in the second quarter as a direct result of a number of international airlines starting operations there following the closure of one of Dubai International’s two runways for a major refurbishment," Dubai Airports said. Dubai International <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/travel/dubai-airport-runway-closure-everything-travellers-need-to-know-1.849137">has closed one of its two runways for 45 days</a> starting April 16 to complete upgrade work on the southern runway. Airlines will implement flight cuts or re-direct their services to DWC, with the hub expecting traffic to increase by 700 per cent as it accommodates more than 150 flights per day. In the first quarter, Russia accounted for almost half of the passenger traffic at DWC with 167,934 travelers. Germany, Romania and Hungary were also major destination countries contributing to traffic. Some of DWC’s top cities during the quarter were Moscow, Bucharest and Dusseldorf. Air cargo at DWC fell 9.3 per cent to 43,114 tonnes of freight in the first quarter compared to the same period last year. DWC is served by 11 passenger airlines that operate an average of 146 weekly flights to 31 international destinations. It is home to 18 cargo operators that fly to 45 cities.