Height rules for high-rises around Dubai's Al Maktoum airport

Height restrictions will apply to buildings around Al Maktoum International Airport, which is set to open to passengers on October 27.

With property developers in Dubai looking to construct some of the tallest structures in the world, the emirate's planning and aviation authorities are putting together strict new rules to ensure that they do not obstruct aircraft.
Yesterday the emirate's Civil Aviation Authority and the Dubai Municipality signed a memorandum of understanding to restrict high-rise structures around the new Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai World Central.
The new rules are likely to further regulate the height of buildings in the Jebel Ali area and around the foot of Nakheel's proposed Jebel Ali Palm, which lie close to the new airport's location.
With just over a month to go until the new airport opens for passenger flights on October 27, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Dubai Airports, said that the first ever aviation environment strategy and policy would meet the current and future growth of aviation sector, while ensuring a sustainable built environment.
He said: "This landmark facility is our major move to consolidate Dubai's position on the world aviation and tourism map. Dubai Airports and DCAA are taking all measures necessary to enable the new airport start its operations efficiently and smoothly, worthy of the good reputation we have gained over the years."
Speaking on the 12th anniversary of the cataclysmic events of September 11 2001, tall buildings experts said that the new rules would add to existing planning restrictions that prevent developers from building tall structures close to flight paths and emergency flight paths around the new airport.
"This appears to be a streamlining of the existing processes," said Mark Lavery, associate director for tall buildings at Buro Happold Consulting Engineers.
"Buildings currently have to apply for Civil Aviation Authority approval on height and lighting requirements and apply for planning separately. It seems this is an opportunity to streamline or merge the two processes which will allow for landing, take-off [and some holding pattern areas] so that the airport operations are unhindered for normal conditions and back-up flight paths for different weather and lighting conditions."
The news comes as the Dubai property market shows renewed signs of life, prompting developers to restart work on ambitious stalled projects.
Earlier this week Dubai-based Sheffield Holdings and Emaar Properties said they had signed a deal with two hotel operators and were likely to complete their stalled 101-storey Marina 101 - now branded Dream Dubai Marina - by the fourth quarter of this year. The Dh1.5 billion tower, which was originally launched in 2008, will be the second tallest in Dubai after Burj Khalifa.
Al Maktoum International Airport began cargo flights last summer but pushed back the opening of passenger flights until October. It will eventually become the base for Emirates Airline and serve more than 100 other airlines flying into Dubai.
The airport is slated to become one of the largest in the world when completed by about 2030, with five runways, four terminal buildings and the capacity to handle 160 million passengers a year, and 12 million tonnes of cargo.
Sheikh Ahmed said that about 42 million passengers used the existing Dubai International Airport during the first eight months of this year. Dubai is currently the world's busiest airport for international passengers, with a projected passenger handling of 65 million this year. Dubai International now serves more than 145 airlines flying to 260 destinations across six continents.
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