India is Dubai International Airport's largest destination

DUBAI: India has retained its position as largest destination country for Dubai International Airport in 2013, according to a report.

India remains at the top with 8,401,253 passengers, a year on year growth of 14.3 per cent compared to 7,347,270 in 2012, the annual traffic report said.

UK is placed second with 5,099,843 passengers (up 24.1 per cent) followed by Saudi Arabia at 4,825,114 (up 34.2 per cent), it said.

The airline hub registered another banner year with annual passenger traffic reaching 66,431,533 last year and eclipsed the six million passenger mark for the first time in December.

"It was truly a historic year for Dubai's aviation sector highlighted by the successful opening of Concourse A, the launch of passenger services at Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central; and a record breaking airshow that featured aircraft orders exceeding $200 billion," Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said.

In terms of destination cities served by Dubai International, Doha maintained the top spot with 2,516,866 passengers (up 12.9 per cent), followed by London with 2,494,555 passengers (up 24.1 per cent) and Kuwait with 1,813,603 passengers (up 13.3 per cent).

"2014 is set to be another eventful year, one featuring continued traffic growth, network expansion and the ongoing enlargement and upgrade of our facilities and runways," Paul said.