DUBAI Airports and Emirates are working in tandem to build on Dubai’s reputation as a transportation hub and create the world’s biggest and most advanced airport, said officials.
Al Maktoum International Airport, which opened to civilian traffic in 2013, will undergo a US$32 billion, two-phase expansion that will enable it to manage up to 100 Airbus A380s at any one time and handle more than 200 million passengers annually by 2030.
The first phase is scheduled to complete by the mid-2020s and the second after Expo 2020 Dubai.
“Airport expansion is based on the expansion of the airline. Our CEO has been talking to the Emirates CEO in the (entire) planning process,” said Lorne Riley, director corporate communications at Dubai Airports.
Officials at Emirates said the airline’s 50 A380s on order will come into service by next year, adding to its fleet of 232 planes.
Dubai is enhancing its convention and hotel infrastructure in the run-up to the six-month-long Expo 2020, which is expected to attract 20 million international visitors.
Dubai hotels received 13.2 million guests last year, according to the Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. Saudi Arabia was again the top source market followed by India, the UK, US, Iran, Oman, China, Kuwait, Russia and Germany.
