Dubai Airports has unveiled its master plan for the $7.78 billion expansion at Dubai International Airport, which will see capacity at the gateway jump from 60mppa to 90mppa by 2018.
The 'Strategic Plan 2020', approved by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will see the airport's infrastructure expand to cope with the significant growth that has been forecast at the gateway over the next ten years.
By 2020, 98.5 million passengers and more than 4 million tonnes of cargo are expected to pass through Dubai International Airport, and the airport and airspace expansion programme has been designed to cater for this growth.
The strategy includes aggressive plans over the rest of the decade for airspace expansion as well as expansion of the airfield and terminal areas at Dubai International.
Locally, airspace expansion plans will focus on optimising runway capacity and implementing systems and processes to accommodate and manage additional aircraft movements.
Meanwhile, Dubai Airports is also engaging with national and regional civil aviation authorities and air navigation service providers to ensure that air routes are decongested, bottlenecks are reduced and latent airspace capacity is unlocked.
In terms of the airport itself, additional aircraft movements will be accommodated with the addition of a new taxiway and a 60% increase in the number of stands needed to park and service aircraft.
In addition to Concourse 3 - which will boost capacity to 75mppa when it is completed at the end of 2012 ­- Dubai Airports will commission the construction of additional terminal space and concourse areas comprising an extra 675,000sqm of floor space.
This includes the expansion of Terminal 2 and the construction of a new concourse - Concourse 4 - which will be connected to Terminal 1 to facilitate check-in and baggage servicing.
Furthermore, cargo capacity at the gateway will also be increased with a 30,000sqm expansion of the cargo mega terminal.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said: "Our plan effectively responds to the need to accommodate rapid traffic growth with timely, efficient and high quality infrastructure.
"It recognises the need to match capacity with service quality. It augments our ability to provide quick and easy transfers that effectively solidify Dubai's status as a hub that connects the world. And it optimises cash flow to fund future development."
