Airport to grow 5.4% despite runway closure

Dubai International airport is expected to surpass 70 million passengers this year, 5.4 per cent more than last year, despite 80-day closure of the runways, said a senior Dubai official on Sunday.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group, projected that the Dubai airport will record 70 million plus passengers using Dubai airport in 2014, an increase of 5.4 per cent over last year’s figures.

Around 66.4 million passengers passed through Dubai airport last year, an increase of 15.2 per cent over the previous year.

The runways at Dubai International will undergo a phased refurbishment and upgrading during an 80-day period commencing May 1, 2014. The southern runway will be closed from May 1 to May 31, 2014 while the northern runway will be out of operation from May 31 to July 20, 2014 as the upgrades are implemented.

He said Dubai will continue to invest in the development of aviation sector and infrastructure.

Sheikh Ahmed was speaking to media on Sunday after inaugurating Airport Show at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The show will run till Tuesday, May 13. Airport Show, he said, reflects the growth of aviation sector in the UAE.

Sheikh Ahmed said in Dubai Airports annual report that the airport growth is on track to surpass 100 million by 2020. “To meet that growth, we have already mapped out our expansion plans at Dubai International to 2020 through our $7.8 billion SP2020 expansion plan. But 2020 is fast approaching and we need to look even further into the future,” he added.

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