UAE – Mubasher: Dubai International (DXB) welcomed up to 22.2 million passengers during the first quarter of 2019, down 2.2% from Q1-18.

The drop comes due to reduced flights and a shift in the timing of the Easter holiday, DXB said in a statement on Sunday.

Cargo volumes increased 4.1% year-on-year in Q1-19, recording 641,250 tonnes.

Total passenger flights levelled down 3% year-on-year to 95,857 during the first three months of 2019, due to the grounding of 737 Max aircraft in effect since 13 March in the UAE.

India topped the destinations with a total number of 3.12 million travellers, followed by the UK with 1.51 million.

The GCC was the fastest growing region with growth of 3.8%, followed by North America with 2.7% growth.