Aug. 04--JEDDAH -- The runway refurbishment program at Dubai International Airport will bring in a significant surge in air traffic, says Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of DCAA and chairman of Dubai Airports.
"We are confident the completion of the major runway refurbishment program in our history and full schedule operations ahead of the Eid holidays will bring in a significant surge in air traffic," he said in a message to Via Dubai, the official bi-lingual newsletter of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA).
"Flight operations at the Dubai International Airport were restored fully on July 21 following the completion of the runway refurbishment as scheduled," he added.
As airlines used bigger aircraft where possible and load factors were higher than usual, the actual reduction in seat and passenger numbers was calculated to be less than 26 percent.
"We are confident about the airport handling over 70 million passengers in 2014, which will bring us further closer to becoming the world's number one airport for international passengers," he said.
He said the next project that will soon become a reality is a new concourse.
The Concourse D which will be connected to an existing terminal by automated train is due to open in the first quarter of next year. A trial run is planned to be conducted soon.
The fourth concourse is part of the $7.8 billion expansion program designed to boost the airport's capacity to over 100 million passengers annually by 2020.
The development of Al-Maktoum International Airport with an eventual capacity of 160 million passengers is also progressing in phases.
"We are on the mark in terms of giving a big boost to the aviation industry which we anticipate will contribute 32 percent to Dubai's GDP by 2020," he said.
The August edition of Via Dubai also reveals that the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA Dubai) is working on plans to launch the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) by the end of 2014 or early next year after final approval of the Ministry of Interior.
The new system will help airlines process their passengers' demographic and traveling details before their arrival in the UAE.
Copyright 2014 - Arab News, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia