Dubai Airports to handle 98.5 million passengers by 2020

Dubai Airports is projecting 98.5 million passengers to pass through its doors by 2020. The figure forecasts the annual growth rate of 7.2 per cent across both its airports, Dubai International and Dubai World Central, with the latter opening doors for commercial traffic by next year.

Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports CEO, revealed that while Dubai World Central, the new airport situated at Jebel Ali, has not signed on any commercial passenger carriers as yet but he said aviation demand is “very last minute and like our cargo operations there, we had no carrier one month and 22 signed the next.”

Meanwhile, Dubai International’s Concourse 3 (the world’s only A380 terminal) is scheduled to open by 2012, which will offer 20 A380 gates and allow passengers to board onto the lower and top levels simultaneously. It will take capacity from the current 60m passengers to 75m.

“And by 2015, we should see 75m passengers travelling through our airports,” he said.

Griffiths also confirmed that Emirates will gradually take over Concourses 1, 2and 3, with a fourth concourse plan also on the agenda.

“The Concourse 4 has no scheduled timeline as yet, but it would be situated on the south western side of Terminal 1 and would ideally cater to long haul carriers transporting passengers from European and North American destinations,” said Griffiths, who spoke to the press at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market exhibition. “We have a masterplan that is currently in the works and shall be hopefully revealed by end of the year.”

Speaking about the projected 10-year growth across cargo traffic, he revealed that it would be at a compound annual growth rate of 6.7 per cent, taking the figure to 4.1m tonnes by 2020.

“This growth model is based on market share capture and our projections are solid,” said a confident Griffiths, adding: “We can ride out hiccups and our masterplan shall ensure that.”

The Dubai Airports CEO has attributed this growth factor to UAE’s stable economy, tax-free environment, its geographical location and the rise of local carriers, Emirates and low-cost flydubai.

Dubai International, which turns 50 this year, has increased at an average growth rate of 15.5 per cent per annum. Currently ranked at number four according to ACI ranking, Griffiths said he was confident that they would reach the number one position in four to five years.

“We will not only be ranked number one, but we will be the world’s largest international airport in four to five years. Of this I am confident,” said Griffiths.

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