Dubai expects new airport to bring economic boost

Dubai International handled a total of 3,496,366 passengers last month, compared with 3,130,333 passengers in the same period last year, according to new figures released by Dubai Airports. It was the fifth consecutive month of double-digit growth for the airport.

'We are definitely on track to surpass the 40 million passenger mark this year, spurred by the growth of Emirates Airline, the onset of the tourist season and major international events such as the Dubai Airshow 2009, which alone is expected to attract more than 50,000 visitors,' said Paul Griffiths, the chief executive of Dubai Airports.

'Our performance...is proof that it pays to invest in infrastructure and build capacity.'

Dubai International is the sixth-busiest airport in the world in terms of international passenger traffic numbers, with connections to over 210 destinations through more than 125 airlines.

Al Maktoum International to open

Its new Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International is set to open its first phase in June 2010. The new airport will eventually become the world's largest, with a capacity for 160 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo a year.

It will include a single A380 compatible runway; a passenger terminal with capacity of five million expandable up to seven million passengers per annum; a cargo terminal building with a capacity of 250,000 tonnes expandable to 600,000 tonnes per annum and a 92-metre air traffic control tower.

Dubai Airports' traffic forecast for Dubai International and Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International projects 13.6% growth in international passenger traffic in 2010 with total passenger traffic expected to top 46 million.

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, and Chairman of Dubai Airports, says the rise of Dubai's aviation sector is a key driver of the emirate's economy. 'The ongoing growth in Dubai's aviation sector has a bearing on our trade and tourism while it draws strength from Dubai's standing as the region's hub for the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) industry. Economic sectors feed off each others' growth...they are all interconnected.'

Airport 'on track'

Phase one of the new airport, which includes a runway, control tower, terminal building, and ancillary services is nearly complete and definitely on track for opening in mid-2010, Rashed Buqara'a, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Aviation City Corporation, told AMEInfo.com. However, what has yet to be determined is which airlines will actually be using the airport.

'Discussions are being held between Dubai Airports Corporation and the airlines, so the marketing process is taking place as we speak,' he said. 'But the number and name of the airlines have not been decided.'

Although the scale of the new airport is enormous, there is more to the project than just its enormous size. 'It is opening a new area, a new Dubai. It's about bringing prosperity to Dubai and the UAE in general. It's not driven only by capacity,' he said.

'There is a need from a cargo and logistic point of view, and from a passenger point of view. For people who are residing in New Dubai, it is easier for them to go to Jebel Ali than come to Dubai Airport. So it's not only capacity, it's more than that.'

For its part, the government has no concerns about overcapacity as it builds the largest airport in the world in the midst of a downturn, he said. 'The airport is a long-term project that goes beyond 2050,' he noted. 'And the way we see it the signs of recovery are there. One example of that is the airshow, with its unprecedented number of participators and official visitors. It really shows that the confidence that has been instilled in this event and in the UAE economy in general.'

He said discussions are underway to hold future editions of the Dubai Airshow at the new airport.