UAE air traffic posts 10.6% development in April despite volcanic eruption

Ability to cope with emergency situations cited as reason for continuous flight movement.

Air traffic in the UAE grew by 10.6% in April compared to the same period in 2009 despite a reduce in global movement due to flight disruptions in Europe caused by volcanic activity in Iceland, a report by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said.

Flights reached 52,300 contrasted to 47,300 last year.

The standard growth of air traffic from January to April 2010 was 11.5%.

Globally, the number of passengers traveling business class seats on international markets rose by 7.6% in the first quarter of 2010, compared to the same period last year and 10.8% in March 2010 from the same levels in 2009, according to the IATA report.

Economy travel increased by 7.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2010 and 8.8 per cent in March compared to last year.

Despite this growth, the volcanic ash disruption to air operations has put a dent in overall international travel by about 4 per cent, according to IATA.