Middle East carriers' passenger traffic grew 10.7 per cent in March, buoyed by strong travel to Asia, the airline industry's trade body said.
Passenger load factors - a measure of the percentage of seats on planes filled by paying passengers, which relates closely to profitability - grew 4.4 percentage points to 76.6 per cent compared with the year-earlier period, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in its montly report.
"This reflects healthy growth in the market between the Middle East and Asia. Demand also shows signs of stabilisation on Middle East to North America routes."
Read more: Dubai International Airport records 4.5% passenger growth in March
Demand for flights between the region and North America stabilised after the disruption in the first half of last year by now-lifted ban on electronic devices onboard planes and the wider impact from the proposed travel restrictions to the US for certain Middle East countries.
Global passenger traffic in March rose 9.5 per cent, compared to the same month a year ago, the fastest growth rate in 12 months, IATA said.
Capacity grew 6.4 per cent and load factor climbed 2.3 percentage points to 82.4 per cent.
"The strong first quarter provides healthy momentum heading into the peak travel period in the Northern Hemisphere," Alexandre de Juniac, director general and chief executive of IATA, said.
In the second quarter, rising costs, especially higher fuel prices, will moderate any boost in demand that came from lower fares, he said.
Emirates, the biggest carrier by international traffic, usually publishes its annual financial results in May and its chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum has said the carrier is set for a stronger performance in its fiscal year ending March 31 than the last.
Dubai International Airport, the emirate’s largest airport, received 7.85 million passengers in March, a 4.5 per cent increase from the same period in 2017, boosted by the Easter holidays, operator Dubai Airports said last week.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
