Dubai Investment News
Dubai International Airport set for runway upgrade
The runways at Dubai International Airport will be upgraded in 2014, bosses at Dubai Airports have confirmed.An 80-day project will be launched in May next year, which will see significant improvements made to the north and south runways. Some 3,000 runway lights will also be installed as part of the programme.Although the scheme will inevitably cause disruptions, airport chiefs insist the works have been meticulously planned. Talks have been held with airlines over a possible reduction in flights during the project, while Dubai World Central Airport – which will launch passenger services in October 2013 – will also be used to ensure people can still gain access to the emirate.Chief executive officer at Dubai Airports Paul Griffiths said safety and service are his two main priorities.”While we regret any inconvenience caused to our airline customers and our passengers, these upgrades are necessary to heighten safety, boost capacity and quite literally pave the way for future expansion,” he remarked.The airport has grown considerably in recent years and the capacity currently stands at 75 million passengers a year. This is set to reach 90 million by the end of the decade and there has been talk of even more expansion work beyond this.Around 66 million people are expected to fly into Dubai International in 2013 and this figure should increase in the coming years.The runway works will be crucial if the aviation hub is to become the busiest airport on the planet. This title is currently held by London's Heathrow, but with huge new airports emerging in places like China and Turkey, competition is fierce.Dubai International is in very good shape though, as a record 5.8 million passengers passed through the complex in March 2013, which was a 20.6 per cent increase on the corresponding month in 2012.Mr Griffiths said the airport has had a very successful start to the year and it has established itself as one of the most efficient aviation hubs in the world, with an average of 208 passengers boarding each plane. Continue reading
Thousands of jobs would be created by Dubai Expo
Thousands of new employment opportunities would be created in the UAE if Dubai's bid to host the World Expo in 2020 is successful.A new study by Oxford Economics showed that more than 277,000 jobs could be made if the high-profile event is staged in the Middle East.Dubai is accustomed to holding important exhibitions and conferences and the city's leaders are confident they have a strong chance of landing the Expo, although the emirate will face stiff competition from Ayutthaya in Thailand, Brazil's Sao Paulo, Izmir in Turkey and Yekaterinburg in Russia.The gathering is predicted to attract 25 million people from all over the world, so plenty of preparation will be required if it is to go off without a hitch. Some 90 per cent of the jobs would be created between 2018 and 2021, with the majority being based in the tourism sector.Importantly, the exhibition will have a positive effect on the wider Gulf region. The report suggested that for every Expo employee, a further 60 jobs would be made in the Middle East and North Africa region.Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general of Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and chief executive officer of the Dubai World Trade Centre, said tourism is a “vital pillar of Dubai's economy”.”With the strength of Dubai's infrastructure, geographic location and global connectivity, Dubai Expo 2020 can expect to attract 25 million visitors during the six months between October 2020 and April 2021, 71 per cent of which would originate from outside the host nation for the first time in Expo history,” he remarked.The World Expo is held every five years for a period of six months and it has been known to transform the fortunes of host cities.Shanghai staged the exhibition in 2010 and it helped to turn the heavily-industrialised city centre into a vibrant, cultural area. The event has never been held in the Middle East before, so a successful bid from Dubai really would be a landmark achievement. Continue reading
Cargo volumes up at Dubai World Central
Dubai's status as a global trading hub continued to grow in the first quarter of 2013, as cargo volumes increased significantly.New figures released by Dubai Airports highlighted a 7.8 per cent upturn in air freight deliveries at Dubai World Central when compared to the first three months of 2012.The facility – which is the city's second airport – handled 53,974 tonnes of goods during the quarter, as traders from all over the world transported cargo to the Middle East.Air traffic movements at the airport rose by 16.8 per cent year-on-year, which underlines just how much the airport has grown in its short lifetime.It first opened in 2010 and is now served by 36 airlines. Last year, the airport handled 219,092 tonnes of air freight and this figure is widely forecast to be surpassed in 2013.Dubai World Central is also expected to accommodate passengers for the first time in October 2013 and this will take some of the strain off Dubai International Airport.The latter is the second busiest aviation hub on the planet, with 66 million people expected to pass through the complex this year – up from 57.6 million in 2012.Wizz Air and nasair are both lining up new services from Dubai World Central, making it easier for travellers to fly into the UAE from Europe and Saudi Arabia.Chief executive officer at Dubai Airports Paul Griffiths insisted that maintaining high levels of cargo growth is far from easy in the current climate, even for Dubai.”The next step in the evolution of the airport will see continued cargo traffic growth, the commencement of passenger operations slated for October 27th with launch carriers Wizz Air and nasair, and the hosting of its first ever Dubai Airshow from November 17th,” he remarked.”All will play a role in building our new airport's growing brand reputation.”If current trends persist, aviation experts predict Dubai Airports' total cargo volumes to reach three million tonnes a year by 2015. Continue reading
