Northern runway to reopen at Dubai airport

The airport's runways have been undergoing repairs since May 1. The project involved resurfacing the 4,000-metre northern runway and upgrading the lighting.

DUBAI // The northern runway at Dubai International Airport is on track to reopen on July 21 and return to its full capacity after an 80-day upgrade programme.

It is now undergoing certification by the General Civil Aviation Authority as a final step.

The airport’s runways have been undergoing repairs since May 1. The project involved the resurfacing of the 4,000-metre northern runway, upgrading of the runway lighting, and constructing additional taxiways and rapid exits on the southern runway.

The opening of the northern runway paves the way for the return of airlines – including flydubai – which temporarily operated selected flights to Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central during the refurbishment.

Four scheduled airlines – Wizz Air, Gulf Air, Jazeera Airways and Qatar Airways – which operated at DWC before the runway closure will continue to fly from Dubai’s second airport.

Passengers are advised to check with their airline to determine which airport they will be flying from during the transition period.

“The opening of the northern runway and ramp-up to a full schedule, when combined with the upcoming Eid holidays, will result in a significant surge in passenger numbers from July 21,” said Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports.

“We have committed the resources and undertaken detailed planning to ensure that the transition to full two-runway operations together with the moving of flights from DWC to Dubai International is smoothly and successfully managed.”