Passengers flying in or out of Dubai should reconfirm their flight details before travelling to the airport this month, as several airlines are set to move operations to Dubai World Central airport when the northern runway at Dubai International Airport closes on May 9.
The airport, which is located about a 40-minute drive from Dubai International, is reopening for the first time since it closed owing to the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020. It will handle about 1,000 flights per week.
Low-cost airline flydubai has several flights making the move during the works, which will last for 45 days, ending on June 22
Travellers to 11 countries, including Saudi Arabia, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are among those who can expect to fly from Dubai World Central.
All the flydubai flights moving to Dubai World Central
- Addis Ababa
- Ahmedabad
- Alexandria (some flights from DXB)
- AlUla
- Bahrain
- Chattogram
- Chennai
- Delhi
- Dammam
- Dhaka
- Doha
- Entebbe (some flights from DXB)
- Faisalabad
- Gassim
- Ha’il
- Hyderabad
- Istanbul
- Jeddah
- Karachi
- Kathmandu (some flights from DXB)
- Khartoum (some flights from DXB)
- Kochi
- Kolkata
- Kozhikode
- Kuwait
- Lucknow
- Madinah
- Mashhad (some flights from DXB)
- Multan
- Mumbai
- Muscat
- Najaf
- Quetta
- Riyadh
- Salalah
- Sialkot
- Tabuk
- Taif
- Yanbu
Flights to all other flydubai destinations will continue to operate from Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 at Dubai International a spokesperson for the airline said. Emirates will not move any flights to Dubai World Central during the resurfacing works.
The airline is “closely working with DXB on the planned northern runway rehabilitation project to ensure a seamless experience for customers departing and transiting through Dubai during that time.”
Other airlines also set to be affected by the works include SpiceJet, IndiGo, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways, and travellers should check with their airline in advance to find out if they face any changes.
The closure of Dubai International's runway is necessary for airport maintenance, which was last carried out in 2014.
Over the 45-day period 160,000 tonnes of asphalt and 30,000 cubic metres of concrete will be placed on the runway; 264 kilometres of cables will be replaced; and more than 4,000 runway lights will be installed.
For more information about the runway closure and everything you need to know if you're due to fly during the works, visit our explainer here.
