DXB resumes full operations after reopening northern runway

Dubai Airports has successfully resumed full operations at Dubai International following the reopening of the northern runway.

At the same time flights that had temporarily moved to Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central (DWC) while the runway upgrades were underway have now returned to Dubai International.

The number of flights at Dubai International surged by about 31 per cent with the opening of both runways, when compared to the number of flights during the 80-day closure. Despite the sudden increase in traffic, operations ran smoothly.

Dubai International now boasts two newly refurbished runways which allow the airport to accommodate more aircraft while improving operational flexibility during busy peak traffic periods. The runway upgrades were part of Dubai Airports’ $7.8bn SP2020 master-plan aimed at expanding Dubai International’s capacity to help accommodate more than 103 million passengers by 2020.

Both of the airport’s runways were closed consecutively from May 1 for an 80-day period. The project involved the resurfacing of the entire 4,000-metre long northern runway as well as the upgrading of runway lighting and construction of additional taxiways and rapid exits on the southern runway.

Airlines that have moved flights from DWC back to Dubai International include flydubai, Malaysian Airlines, Royal Brunei and PAL Express as well as selected flights from Qatar Airways and Gulf Air. Four airlines will continue to offer flights from DWC including Wizz Air, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways and Jazeera Airways.

“I am pleased that our planning and preparations over the past year not only ensured that the impact on passengers during the 80-day period was minimal but that we were able to resume full operations and accommodate increased traffic at the end of the programme without a hitch,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

“The runway upgrade programme tested the mettle of the over 60,000 people who work at DXB whose dedication and teamwork resulted in the successful delivery of an incredibly demanding programme, led by Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects and Dubai Airports’ operations, while maintaining high traffic volumes and top-flight service levels,” added Griffiths. “Additionally it allowed tens of thousands of passengers to experience the speed, convenience and efficiency of DWC, Dubai’s second airport.”

Analyst Saj Ahmad commented: “Given the immense work needed to upgrade both runways at one of the world's most busiest gateways, Dubai International now looks set to reap the rewards of its runway investment and will look forward to a bumper second half in 2014 as traffic normalises and indeed, trends upwards as both new runways come into force.

“It's a great testament to the teams that did the laborious work and now with the runways ready to operate at full capacity to meet the burgeoning demand for travel to and through the city, Dubai International Airport will start the summer season with a view to knocking Heathrow off the top spot by the middle of next year if projections are to be believed.”

Ahmad added: “This long term investment is one that will pay dividends for years to come and will, as a result, keep Dubai International at the top of the international traffic charts for a very long time. The powers that be at Heathrow and the political elite in the UK should look hard at how Dubai has grown its aviation infrastructure and hold their heads in shame at how Heathrow has been so languid in developing over the same 20-30 year time period.”