Flydubai is expected to be the first airline to shift part of its operations to Dubai’s new mega airport, Al Maktoum International (DWC), Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths has said, with five or six aircraft set to relocate from Dubai International (DXB) as early as next year.
Speaking at an international media briefing hosted by the Dubai Media Office, Griffiths said the move of operations from DXB to DWC would unfold gradually over several years rather than all at once, comparing it to Hong Kong’s overnight relocation of its airport from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok in the late 1990s – though on a much larger scale.
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“By that time, we’ll be almost six times the size of Hong Kong, and they did it in 24 hours. I think we will probably take a bit longer than that, but nevertheless, it will be a staged transition, and we will gradually move over a period of months to ensure that we get everyone over to DWC,” he said.
“The whole idea is really the capacity of DXB will be exhausted pretty much over the next few years, and to give Emirates and flydubai the room to grow, they’re going to need to use that additional capacity at DWC,” Griffiths said, adding that slots at DXB will gradually be freed up for further expansion before other airlines begin their own transition.
Once the airport reaches its 150 million-passenger capacity, he elaborated that all of DXB’s operations are planned to move to DWC.
Second runway to open next year
Griffiths said DWC will eventually have five runways once fully built, but only four will be in regular use at any given time, with the fifth acting as a standby to maintain capacity if one of the others has to be taken out of service.
He added that the second runway at the Al Maktoum International Airport will be operational next year.
“We won’t need (all five) probably. We’ll only need two (in the first phase). That will last us to the 150 million capacity. Then we’ll have to build the third and fourth runways as further terminal capacity develops,” he said.
“We will have five in total by the time the project is complete. However, there will only be four in regular use. There’s one standby runway, so if we have to take one of the other four out of action, we’ve got another one to substitute the capacity.”
Source: Khaleej Times