The expansion of Al Maktoum International Airport to handle about 130 million passengers by 2025 will cost more than Dh100 billion and will be financed through debt, an official said on Monday.
Al Maktoum, which has a capacity to handle up to 7 million passengers, will be expanded to handle 26.5 million by next year, when the low-cost carrier flydubai is set to move in.
At least 80 per cent of flydubai’s operations are expected to move from Dubai International Airport to Al Maktoum next year, said Khalifa Al Zaffin, the executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South.
Emirates is expected to move into Al Maktoum by 2025, he added.
Al Maktoum will eventually have the capacity to handle 220 million passengers when all phases are completed.
Passenger traffic at Al Maktoum surged more than 95 per cent in the first half of the year to reach more than 410,00 passengers, compared to more than 209,000 passengers in the same period a year earlier.
The soaring traffic is driven by flights from flydubai, which also flies from Terminal 2 in Dubai International.
Flydubai currently operates 35 weekly flights to five destinations from Al Maktoum. The airport is served by 17 passenger airlines, operating an average of 174 flights weekly to 39 international destinations. It is also home to 34 scheduled cargo operators that fly to 141 destinations.
dalsaadi@thenational.ae
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