Dubai airport expansion approved
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Dubai Airports has announced that HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and the Ruler of Dubai, has endorsed its US$7.8 billion expansion programme which will boost capacity at Dubai International Airpoirt from 60 million to 90 million passengers per year by 2018.
The plan, which was presented to HH Sheikh Mohammed at a high-level meeting held at Dubai International earlier this week is designed to facilitate Dubai’s economic expansion and generate 22% of total employment and 32% of the emirate’s GDP by 2020. It responds to a 100-year traffic forecast for Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) that projects international passenger and cargo traffic will increase at an average annual growth rate of 7.2% and 6.7% respectively.
“The combination of rallying tourism, Dubai’s proximity to the emerging economies of India and China, and the emirates’ established role as a trading hub, is together expected to drive traffic growth and further elevate Dubai’s status as a global centre for aviation,” said HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports and President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority. “By 2020, 98.5 million passengers and over four million tonnes of air freight will pass through our airports. The fleets and networks of Emirates and flydubai will grow considerably to accommodate traffic and capture market share. Similarly, our infrastructure must expand to enable this growth and facilitate the trade, tourism and commerce that in turn will support the prosperity of Dubai.”
The strategy includes aggressive expansion plans for airspace, airfield, aircraft stands and terminal areas at Dubai International over the remainder of the decade which will optimise investment, deliver timely capacity and create a robust revenue stream, fuelled by increased commercial and retail income, which will fund the development of Dubai World Central in the long term.
As airspace opens up, additional aircraft movements will be accommodated on the ground with the addition of a new taxiway and a 60% increase in the number of stands needed to park and service aircraft. Beyond Concourse 3, which will boost capacity to 75 million passengers when it is completed at the end of 2012, Dubai Airports will commission the construction of additional terminal space and concourse areas comprising an extra 675,000sqm of floor space – twice the footprint of London Heathrow Terminal 5. This includes the expansion of Terminal 2 and the construction of a new concourse – Concourse 4 – which will be connected to Terminal 1 to facilitate check-in and baggage servicing.
Additionally, Dubai Airports will upgrade baggage systems across the airport to accommodate demand over the life of the project. Plans include the construction of a remote baggage facility and a high-speed baggage link that will support efficient and timely connections. Cargo capacity will also be augmented with a 30,000sqm expansion of the cargo mega terminal.
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