Dubai, Feb 28 (Asianet/UNB) - Passenger numbers through Dubai International Airport rose 14 per cent to over 4.8million year on year in January, helped by Emirates Airlines' expansion, but cargo continued to suffer amid global uncertainty, falling 2.6 per cent in the same period.

Traffic through Dubai's main airport, the fourth busiest in the world, hit 4.85 million in January, up 14 per cent versus the 4.25million recorded in the same month a year ago, Dubai Airports, which owns and runs Dubai International, said in a statement Monday.

The January figure surpassed the previous monthly recordof 4.72 million in July 2011.

The fantastic start to the year is partially due to thetraffic surge caused by the holiday season, the recently concluded Dubai Shopping Festival and the on-going expansion of the hub network, said Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths, adding that he expected total passenger traffic in2012 to reach 56.5 million, up from 51 million last year.