The refurbishment of the northern runway at Dubai International airport began on Monday and is set for completion on June 22.
As a result of the essential works, the world’s busiest international airport will be reduced to a one-runway operation. More than 1,000 flights per week have been relocated to Dubai World Central (DWC) over the 45-day period, largely those operated by flydubai, Spice Jet and Indigo.
Dubai Airports is urging passengers to double check their departure airport and terminal before travelling by contacting their selected airline or by visiting www.dubaiairports.ae.
It is also operating a complimentary bus service between all terminals at DXB and DWC, and has arranged a deal with Uber allowing passengers to receive special rates when using the code DWC2022. Complimentary parking is offered at DWC.
In a recent interview with The National, Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, explained why it makes sense to do the work now. “We're anticipating 57 million passengers this year. Pre-Covid, in 2019, we recorded 89 million.
“So while I'm completely ecstatic and excited about the growth numbers, we are still operating at only two-thirds of our normal demand levels. If we were to delay the runway works, we would probably impact more passengers than if we do them now,” he told The National.
“We chose the period between the end of the Eid break, and the start of the summer demand because traditionally, that's a fairly low period for traffic.”
The closure is necessary for airport maintenance, which was last carried out in 2014. Work will include the placement of 160,000 tonnes of asphalt and 30,000 cubic metres of concrete on the runway; the replacement of 264 kilometres of cables; and the installation of 4,400 runway lights. The southern runway underwent a similar closure in 2019.
Flydubai is moving around 30 per cent of its operations to DWC and the low-cost carrier has released a list of 39 destinations affected by the move, including Addis Ababa, Bahrain, Delhi, Jeddah, Muscat and Riyadh.
Emirates' flights will not be affected by the runway maintenance programme, with all flights scheduled to fly in or out of Terminal 3 at DXB and operating as normal.
“Building on best practices from the previous two runway rehabilitation projects at DXB in 2014 and 2019, Emirates already has response plans in place to ensure that our operations maintain on-time performance while utilising a single runway, while reducing instances of flight delays and disruptions across our destination network,” a spokesman for Emirates confirmed to The National.
First day of Arabian Travel Market 2022 — in pictures:
-
Visitors at the Dubai stand on the third day of the Arabian Travel Market held at Dubai World Trade Centre. Pawan Singh / The National -
Visitors at the Etihad stand. Pawan Singh / The National -
A Flynas advertisement on the first day of Arabian Travel Market. -
The Iraq stand. Pawan Singh / The National -
Visitors at the Qatar stand on the first day of Arabian Travel Market. -
Visitors at the Rotana stand. Pawan Singh / The National -
Children's toys on display at the Emirates stand. Pawan Singh / The National -
The Neom stand. Pawan Singh / The National -
The Armani stand. Pawan Singh / The National -
The Flynas stand. Pawan Singh / The National -
Performers dance at the Saudi Arabia stand on the second day of the Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National -
Visitors take photos at the flydubai stand. Pawan Singh / The National -
The Jordan stand. Pawan Singh / The National -
The second day of Arabian Travel Market welcomed visitors from around the world. Pawan Singh / The National -
The event is considered a bellwether for the travel industry in the Middle East, offering an insight into the trends that will shape the year ahead. Pawan Singh / The National -
A total of 112 countries looking to revive their tourism numbers will be featured on the exhibition's show floor, from Japan to Jamaica and South Africa to Italy. Pawan Singh / The National -
People visit the South Africa stand at the Arabian Travel Market. Pawan Singh / The National -
A model of the Airbus A350-1000 at the Etihad stand on the first day of Arabian Travel Market held at Dubai World Trade Centre. All photos: Pawan Singh/The National -
More than 1,500 exhibiting companies are taking part in the four-day tourism showcase that will welcome about 20,000 visitors. -
Travel and tourism are starting to show signs of recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with many companies starting to ramp up their recruitment as countries reopen their borders. -
Staff from Al Ain Zoo showing some birds and reptiles at the Abu Dhabi stand. -
Saudi Arabia has a major presence at this year's Arabian Travel Market, including representatives from Neom, the kingdom's $500 billion futuristic mega city. -
Arabian Travel Market is considered a bellwether for the travel industry in the Middle East, offering an insight into trends for the year ahead. -
Emirates airline launched its premium economy cabin at Arabian Travel Market. -
The Abu Dhabi stand at Arabian Travel Market was busy on the first day of the event. -
Artists showcasing handmade items at the Abu Dhabi stand. -
Staff from Al Ain Zoo introduce visitors to birds at the Abu Dhabi stand. -
Etihad Airways showcasing its economy class seats at Arabian Travel Market. -
The soaring price of oil and the impact of the war in Ukraine are tempering the travel industry's expected resurgence. -
Staff from Al Ain Zoo show visitors reptiles at the Abu Dhabi stand. -
The Darina holidays stand on the first day of Arabian Travel Market held at Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai. -
Visitors at the Brussels stand. -
Visitors at the Maldives stand.
