The 12th World Route Development Forum gets underway

To be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre under the patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and Chairman of Emirates Group, the event serves as a networking opportunity for airports and airlines to develop new air routes.

The double-digit growth in both passenger throughput at Dubai International Airport and a long list of numerous awards to its credit has brought the attention of the world onto Dubai. Hosting such an important forum for the industry in Dubai will further benefit Dubai's aviation sector.

Addressing a press conference organised by Dubai Department of Civil Aviation yesterday, HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of DCA and Chairman of Emirates Group, said the prestigious event is in line with vision the DCA has for the future of aviation in Dubai. He expressed happiness that the ICAO's (International Civil Aviation Organisation) global symposium on air transport liberalisation is being held side by side with the Routes forum.

"With over 2,000 airlines and airport representatives attending the Routes forum and over 400 civil aviation policy makers, professionals and experts from 189 member countries participating in the ICAO symposium, it will undoubtedly be the biggest and most significant gathering of its kind in recent civil aviation history,"

he said.

He said it was only natural that the global civil aviation industry's two most important organisations - one that brings together airports and airlines and the other concerned primarily with safe, secure and sustainable development of civil aviation through co-operation amongst its members - should come to Dubai, the regional business and aviation hub, and the emerging global commercial and tourism centre.

"I believe these two events offer a great opportunity for DCA to reach out to the world through the media as well as the participating organisations about our vision for the future of civil aviation in Dubai," Sheikh Ahmed said.

He said that in its quest to become the global aviation hub, Dubai is investing a total of AED 300 billion in numerous aviation infrastructure projects, some of which are already under way while some others will be executed in phases over the coming decade.

"To date our investment in Dubai International Airport is AED 19 billion. The second phase, which will be completed by end of 2007, is worth AED 15 billion, and this will increase the capacity of the airport from 22 million passengers now to 70 million annual," he explained.

An estimated AED 120 billion will be invested in Dubai World Central, Sheikh Ahmed said. "The first phase of this mega-project - which primarily involves the development of infrastructure for DWC International Airport, Dubai Logistics City, Residential City, Commercial City, a Golf Resort and Enterprise Park - is already under construction and will be completed in the first quarter of 2008 at a total cost of AED 8 billion," he said.

The latest in Dubai's long list of projects is the AED 55 billion Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, which will mainly involve aircraft spare parts manufacturers, aircraft leasing, airport management, aircraft maintenance, and an aerospace university.

Sheikh Ahmed added, "Our expansion does not stop at airports. Emirates, the world's fastest growing airline has signed contracts, totalling AED 110 billion, to buy 130 aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus. Emirates will receive some of these aircraft at the rate of one every month until 2012."

Considered to be the world's leading airport-airlines networking event dedicated to the development of new air routes, the event is attracting some of the world's best airports and international airlines to Dubai. Delegates from as many as 603 airports and over 300 airlines will attend the event in Dubai.

According to Anita Mehra Homayoun, Director, Marketing and Corporate Communication Directorate at DCA, the record participation at Dubai 2006 should not come as a surprise since Middle East's civil aviation sector is among the world's top two in terms of growth, and Dubai handles a considerably large percentage of all passenger and cargo movement in the region.

She said that the all time high participation from airlines and airports in general is indicative of the importance of Routes as a forum for development of new air routes as well as a sign of Dubai's rising status as the global aviation hub of the future.

Airlines and airports are joined at Routes by third parties with a vested interest in air service development, such as tourism and economic development authorities. The event, in its twelfth year, is anything but conventional in its approach. It comprises pre-arranged, formal, one to one meetings between representatives of airlines and airports, interspersed with social occasions designed to create further informal networking opportunities. Over 20,000 meetings were scheduled prior to the event in Copenhagen in September 2005.

The participating airlines and airports and other industry players will have stands at the DICC, with Dubai's pavilion occupying the central location. The DCA stall will highlight the development of Dubai's civil aviation section over the years and a model of Dubai World Central.

A new airline hall has attracted new start up airlines such as Sama from Saudi Arabia, Aerosvit from the Ukraine, Slok Air International of the Gambia; Astral Aviation, Kenya's ad hoc charter carrier; Air Burundi, Fly Air from Turkey, and Air Arabia of Sharjah.

New airports participating in Dubai 2006 include Memphis, Lambert St Louis and San Diego from the US; plus Adelaide and Bujumbura. The event has also attracted a number of tourism authorities from around the world.