Bosses at Dubai World Central airport have reported a 7.8 per cent upturn in cargo volumes for the first quarter of 2013.

The Middle Eastern aviation hub has quickly established itself as a major global trading centre since first launching air freight services in 2010.

According to Dubai Airports, 53,974 tonnes of freight were handled in the first three months of 2013, compared with 50,062 tonnes during the corresponding period in 2012. Air traffic movements also increased by 16.8 per cent year-on-year.

Experts believe that if current trends persist, Dubai Airports will be accommodating three million tonnes of freight annually by 2015.

Dubai World Central is also set to offer passenger services for the first time in October 2013, which will take some of the pressure off Dubai International Airport, which is the second busiest on earth.

Despite the continued growth in freight activity, chief executive officer at Dubai Airports Paul Griffiths insisted that trading conditions are still very hard.

"Maintaining triple-digit air freight traffic expansion is a difficult task… even in Dubai," he remarked.