Left: Dubai Airports’ new AED1.9bn (US$517m) Concourse D is set to open later this year
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has announced plans to invest approximately AED120bn (US$32.6bn) in UAE airports to meet demands for passenger growth and cargo movements. The announcement was made in the June issue of Via Dubai, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority’s (DCAA) newsletter.
DCAA president and Dubai Airports chairman, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, wrote in the newsletter, “The aviation industry in Dubai is on a firm pedestal due to the unbridled airport developments and fleet expansion by Emirates and flydubai.
“Our stakeholders have invested in the industry in line with the vision of making aviation a major contributor to Dubai’s unrivalled economic success story.”
Last year UAE airports handled more than 101 million passengers, which included around 71 million by Dubai International Airport. Saeed Al Maktoum said that Dubai is working its way to be the global travel hub for the 21st century.
“By 2022, the world’s biggest airport will become a reality in the shape of Dubai World Central (DWC), of which Al Maktoum International Airport is a key component. When fully complete, DWC will handle over 220 million passengers,” he wrote.
In addition to this, Al Maktoum International’s passenger terminal is to be expanded to boost the airport’s capacity to a total of 26 million passengers a year by 2017. Dubai International’s capacity is expected to reach over 100 million passengers per year by 2020 as a result of a US$7.8bn expansion.
“Aviation’s contribution to Dubai’s economy will increase to US$88bn by 2030,” noted Saeed Al Maktoum.