Cover story
The sky is the limit
Dubai Airports
Always a step ahead Cynics aren’t impressed BY Dubai announcing projects that WILL either be the world’s tallest or longest or one that is the “first ever built”, but the fact is that with tourists pouring into the country, the Dubai model does seem to be successful. Dubai Airport has moved ahead of Hong Kong Airport TO becomE the third-busiest airport in the world, according to AirportS Council International figures in 2012.
To
keep up with the flow of tourists, Dubai Airports announced last year that HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has endorsed its QR28.4 billion ($7.8 billion) airport and airspace expansion programme, which will boost capacity at Dubai International from 60 million to 90 million passengers per year by 2018. The plan is designed to deliver aviation infrastructure that will support the continuation of the sector’s impressive growth, facilitate Dubai’s economic expansion and generate 22% of total employment and 32% of the emirate’s GDP by 2020. It is responding to a ten-year traffic forecast for Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) that projects that international passenger and cargo traffic will increase at an average annual rate of 7.2% and 6.7% respectively. Anita Mehra, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications for Dubai Airports, tells us how Dubai flies so high. How many passengers went through Dubai Airport in 2012? How much growth is this against previous years? What percentage of these passengers were in transit? In 2012, Dubai International handled a total of 57.68 million passengers, an increase of 13.2% from 50.97 million in 2011. Transit passengers constituted 57% of the total traffic. How many flights go in and out of Dubai airport each week? How much growth is this against previous years? What
Anita Mehra Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Dubai Airports
percentage of these are with Emirates? Total aircraft movements for 2012 reached 344,245 (an average of approximately 6,600 movements per week), up 5.5% from the 326,318 movements recorded in 2011. Emirates is the single largest contributor to activity at Dubai International and accounts for approximately 60% of total passenger traffic. Dubai International Airport is the third busiest airport in the world. What has propelled the airport to such a position? How important is your geographical location, and what makes Dubai’s airports stand out against others? Dubai’s geo-centric location is a major ad-
vantage, and coupled with our aviation model – which is a direct result of the grand vision of the political leadership and revolves around a liberal regulatory climate – the key factors in our growth story are a tax-free business environment, a customercentric focus that provides value for money, and close coordination and collaboration within the sector. Thanks to Dubai’s “open skies” policy the airport is connected to 260 destinations across six continents, through more than 140 airlines, and continues to attract more carriers. The combination of a successful tourism industry, Dubai’s proximity to the emerging economies of the East, and the emirate’s established role as a trading hub linking economies in the Far East, Europe, Africa and North America will drive growth and further consolidate Dubai’s status as a global centre for trade, tourism and commerce. The success of Dubai’s flagship carrier, Emirates, and the meteoric rise of our low-cost carrier, Fly Dubai, will also remain a major factor in our future growth story. Dubai’s progressive approach to aviation is the key difference. The success is attributed to a model that is consensus-based, highly competitive and consumer-centric. This generates significant economic benefits for Dubai and the countries it connects. How do you market the airport, with Doha’s Hamad International Airport and Abu Dhabi International Airport in close proximity? We position Dubai International as a hub that provides top airport infrastructure, the highest connectivity for international passengers, a competitive tax-free environment, a 50-year track record of high traffic growth and a promising future in terms of the projected growth of the sector.