DUBAI — Growth in passenger traffic through Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest, slowed in November because of the geopolitical and economic instability hitting Russia, the airport's operator said on Tuesday.
Dubai is a popular tourist destination for Russians and a convenient place for them to park some of their savings abroad. Western economic sanctions against Moscow since the pro-Russian uprising in Ukraine, and the slide of the Russian ruble, appear to have reduced Russian visitors in recent months.
Passenger traffic related to Russia and other countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States plunged 18.2 percent from a year earlier in November, Dubai Airports said.
This cut growth in total passenger traffic through Dubai International, which rose 4.3 percent to 5.6 million people in November, slowing from 5.7 percent growth in October.
Cargo volume through Dubai International dropped 8 percent from a year earlier in November to 205,375 tons, while cargo handled in the first 11 months shrank 2.7 percent to 2.16 million tons because of the shift of dedicated freighter services to Dubai's other main airport, Al Maktoum International, in May.
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