Passenger traffic at Dubai International surpassed 43 million in the first half of 2017, according to the traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports.

DXB handled a total of 43,054,268 passengers during the first half, up 6.3 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2016 when the airport welcomed 40,507,251 passengers.

Monthly traffic in June reached 6,084,674 compared to 5,857,503 during the same month last year, up 3.9 per cent.

The relatively modest growth was the outcome of the holy month of Ramadan falling in June, a traditionally slow month.

During the first six months, the top country destinations in terms of total passenger volumes were India (5,943,359), Saudi Arabia (3,108,492), the UK (3,064,172), Pakistan (2,207,497) and the US (1,561,559).

In terms of percentage growth, top regions during the first half were South America (36.4 per cent), Eastern Europe (28.7 per cent) and Asia (18.7 per cent).