Special Features
Dubai Airports and Future
Not surprisingly, the significant increase in economic, business and tourist activity in the country has led to a corresponding increase in the aviation industry in the UAE. Bucking international trends, airlines based in the UAE have a combined purchase order book of over Dh95 billion and the UAE’s total investment on airport development over the coming 20 years will exceed Dh71 billion. This figure includes Dh15 billion being spent on the ongoing expansion of Dubai International Airport, and Dh30 billion estimated for the new Jebel Ali International Airport (JAIA) development.In 2004, 21.7 million passengers passed through Dubai International Airport (DIA). This figure increased by 13.7 per cent in the first half of 2005 compared to the same period in 2004. The number of passengers totalled 11,837,271 during the first half of 2005, up from 10,414,143 in the same period in 2004, and aircraft traffic rose 11.4 per cent to 105,646 from 94,795 movements. By the end of 2005, it is estimated that 25 million will have passed through DIA and forecasts for 2010 are for a throughput of 60 million passengers. To facilitate the growth, the second phase of DIA’s Dh15 billion development plan is well under way.
This includes construction of the new Terminal 3, Concourse 2 and Concourse 3 (all dedicated to Emirates airline), a cargo mega terminal and an upgrade and expansion of Terminal 2. Terminal 3 (a multi-level underground structure featuring lounges, restaurants, a hotel and 10,000 square metres of commercial space, including Dubai Duty Free outlets) and Concourse 2 are scheduled to be operational by the first quarter of 2007.
Dubai Duty Free, currently ranked No. 3 in the world in terms of turnover, recorded sales amounting to US$283 million in the first half of 2005, representing an increase of 19 per cent over the previous year and placing the operations on track for another record year.
Dubai Cargo Village (DCV) handled 1.17 million tonnes of cargo in 2004, compared to 959,082 tonnes in 2003, an increase of 22 per cent. Figures for 2005 are also up (by 17 per cent in the first half of 2005). This is a continuing success story since DCV has experienced 20 per cent annual cargo growth over the past three years, outstripping projected annual growth of 10 per cent. DCV will double its capacity to 2.5 million tonnes by early 2007 when phase one of the expansion programme is completed. This will provide additional warehousing capacity, more office space, conference facilities and a shopping centre. The expansion is long overdue since business had outgrown capacity several years ago. DCV’s cargo business is expected to remain steady, even after Jebel Ali Airport opens and therefore the second and third phases of expansion are proceeding as planned. These include the construction of three mega terminals aimed at raising DCV’s total handling capacity to 4.5 million tonnes by 2020.
Jebel Ali Airport City (JAAC), occupying an area of 140 square kilometres, the size of Manhattan, will comprise Dubai Aviation City, Dubai Exhibition City, Commercial City and Emirates City, Dubai Logistics City (DLC), Residential City, Golf Resort, as well as Jebel Ali International Airport. The new airport, located next to the world’s third largest free zone, the Jebel Ali Free Zone, will also be connected to Dubai Aid City, Techno Park and Dubai Investment Park. The two industrial parks contain a significant number of new manufacturing plants. The whole development, which will take between 25 to 30 years to complete, will create the largest air-sea logistics and transportation centre of its kind in the Middle East.
Jebel Ali Airport itself will involve an investment of Dh30 billion in multiple phases up to the year 2020. The plan visualises the construction of an airport with six runways, cargo services, two passenger terminals and associated developments capable of handling 12 million tonnes of cargo and 120 million passengers annually. All
