Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
June 08, 2023
When Dubai International Airport first opened, in 1960, it was little more than a sandy airstrip with a small terminal building, a fire station and a control tower. Today, after decades of expansion, DXB is the busiest airport in the world. In a world rebounding from pandemic-era paralysis, its three passenger terminals and concourses, two cargo “mega-terminals”, expo centre, maintenance hub and metro stations are bustling.
And soon, the emirate’s aviation stakeholders expect, they will be brimming. The airport is nearing capacity, with 80 per cent of its runway slots in use. Its operator, state-owned Dubai Airports, forecasts it will accommodate 90 per cent of its 100-million-passenger capacity this year.
Physical expansion, at this stage, is difficult. DXB’s prime location in northern Dubai’s heavily populated urban core is a reason for its success, but has now also become a constraint for any plans to build outwards.
Technology could go some way towards solving the problem. At this year’s International Air Transport Association (Iata) meeting in Istanbul, Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports’ chief executive, told The National that investments in biometric technology could raise capacity by a further 20 million passengers.
But Dubai’s immense popularity – as a tourism destination, commercial hub and place of residence – shows little sign of abating, raising expectations that, eventually, the emirate will need to outgrow its reliance on DXB.
All of this, to some extent, was foreseen more than a decade ago. In 2010, Dubai opened its second international airport, Al Maktoum International (DWC), located in the emirate’s southern Jebel Ali area, and aviation industry watchers believe it is about to come into its own. Authorities recently approved ambitious plans to redevelop the neighbourhood, building up the Palm Jebel Ali (a twin to the famed Palm Jumeirah) to accommodate 35,000 families.
The Dubai government, Dubai Airports and local airlines are in discussions over how to proceed with expansion of DWC, part of a $33 billion plan set out in 2014 to eventually transform it from a six-runway facility into one of the world’s biggest airports. Enlarging the airport and giving it a more prominent place in Dubai’s aviation landscape is “definitely needed”, Mr Griffiths says, but the timeline remains up in the air.
Firming up a schedule requires nailing down the projected needs of Emirates, flydubai and other airlines, and evaluating what is the most affordable path for addressing short-term needs. While DWC operates a busy schedule of flights, it lacks the facilities of DXB, meaning new investment will need to be comprehensive and carefully considered.
The dividends of such an investment, however, are likely to be high. Emirates is already the world’s biggest long-haul airline company, but it is expanding its fleet further in anticipation of growing demand. The company enjoyed record profits in the latest financial year, leading to generous bonuses to all of its staff.
Given that level of success, airport expansion is not only prudent, but necessary.
“We are in the market for buying quite a few more aircraft,” Emirates’ president, Tim Clark, told journalists at the Iata meeting in Istanbul. They will need to be housed somewhere.
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
GroupA: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32 Wins: 28 Wins by KO: 26 Losses: 4
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”