Dubai Air Traffic To Almost Double By 2020

The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) has projected that aircraft movement in Dubai International Airport and the soon-to-be-launched Dubai World Central (DWC) will rise 77 per cent from 375,000 in 2013 to 665,000 in 2020.

Aircraft movement stood at 344,656 in 2012, up from 325,000 and 307,283 in 2011 and 2010 respectively.

“A growth rate of 8.6 per cent of aircraft movement clearly suggests that Dubai International Airport and DWC are on a curve of exponential growth that will see a surge in aircraft movement in already-crowded skies,” said Mohammed Ahli, DCAA director general.

Aircraft movement in Dubai increased by 7.4 per cent during the first half of this year as compared to the same period last year.

DCAA aims to see passenger aircraft movement reaching 355,000, 385,000 and 416,650 in 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively. The target for cargo aircraft movement has been fixed at 28,250 this year, 31,500 in 2014 and 35,000 in 2015.

The authority says 20 new destinations are set to be launched this year, followed by 22 new routes in 2014 and 24 new destinations in 2015.

The contribution of the aviation sector to Dubai’s GDP is expected to amount to 32 per cent – constituting Dhs165 billion by 2020, compared to 28 per cent in 2011.

Dubai International Airport is projected to handle 65 million passengers this year after recording its highest passenger flow at 32.6 million during the first half of this year. The airport is already the second busiest in the world in terms of international passengers but hopes to overtake London’s Heathrow by 2015.

According to recent data from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai recorded the highest share of air traffic in the country with 29,074 traffic movements in the month of July alone.