A tremendous increase has been registered in the number of passengers who used the UAE's Ras Al Khaimah International Airport last year, reported the Gulf News on Saturday.
A total of 75,633 passengers used the airport in 1999. This climbed to 161,832 last year, mainly due to tourism, said a senior official.
Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, chairman of the Ras Al Khaimah Department of Civil Aviation, said that the figures included incoming, outgoing and transit passengers, and so the airport was ranked fourth in passenger growth development in 1999.
He said that 14,319 passengers used the airport in January, 14,029 in February, 13,413 in March, 14,259 in April, 12,973 in May, 13,932 in June, 13,942 in July, 14,980 in August, 11,694 in September, 9,348 in October, 15,214 in November, and 13,729 in December.
Seven percent of the passengers were UAE nationals, 17 percent Egyptians, 20 percent Indians, six percent Pakistanis, four percent Sri Lankans, 26 percent Russians, two percent from the Ukraine, 17 percent from the other CIS countries, and another one percent were other nationalities, he said.
He added that cargo figures had revealed an increase of four percent in transit cargo, a total of 25,782 tons for 2000, compared with 24,857 tons 1999.
He said this increase was mainly reached through transit cargo carried on technical stop flights, especially by AN124 aircraft that had become more active at the airport this year.
The airport has become an excellent place for technical stops due to its fog-free climate, 24-hour service, competitive tariffs and fuel costs, the official added – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
