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29 March 2024

Mohammed tours DWC

The new airport set to start passenger operations in March 2011 will serve 160 million passengers annually. (DENNIS B MALLARI)

Published
By Bindu Suresh Rai

His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai toured Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International on Thursday, where it was reaffirmed the emirate's new airport would commence passenger operations by March 2011.

The briefing was led by senior officials, which included Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

Sheikh Ahmed said DWC-Al Maktoum International will start passenger operations in March 2011, with its plan of serving 160 million people annually once complete.

The airport welcomed its first aircraft on June 20 when an Emirates Boeing 777 Freighter aircraft touched base coming from Hong Kong. However, the airport's first phase officially opened on Sunday with cargo operations.

Designed to have a capacity of more than 12m tonnes of cargo each year, the airport will feature a single A380 compatible runway, a cargo terminal building and a road link to Jebel Ali port. Aside from this, DWC-Al Maktoum International will also boast five parallel runways, two terminals and six concourses.

Three air freight companies have begun operations from the new airport with 12 others due to follow, DCAA issued in a statement earlier.

The first phase has been confined to freight traffic, with a capacity to handle 250,000 tonnes annually.

Sheikh Ahmed said earlier the capacity of the current Dubai airport stands at 65m passengers, and should increase to 75m in 2012 with the completion of the third concourse that will be exclusively used by the A380 superjumbos.

Emirates, the largest Middle East carrier, had earlier this month reinforced its status as the largest single customer of the Airbus A380, by placing a new order for 32 units worth $11.5 billion.

The order made in Berlin brought Emirates' total orders of the superjumbo jet to 90 units, 10 of which are already in service.