Dubai International Airport Resumes Full Operations After Runway Upgrade

Dubai International Airport said that it resumed full operations on July 21, Monday after an 80-day upgrade programme.

Flights that were temporarily diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central will now return to Dubai International, airport authorities confirmed in a statement.

Airlines that have moved flights 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.

The number of flights to the airport surged 31 per cent following the opening of both the runways, Dubai Airports said.

Lasting more than two months, 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.

The upgrade of the runways will allow the airport to accommodate more aircraft while improving operational flexibility during the peak traffic period, the statement said.

“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.

Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest, had to reduce 26 per cent of flights during the upgrade with Emirates taking the brunt. The airline had to slash flights to 41 destinations, incurring a loss of Dhs1 billion in revenues.

Passenger traffic in Dubai International dropped 2.5 per cent in May when the refurbishment work began.

The refurbishment was part of the airport’s $7.8 billion 10-year master plan, which aims at expanding its capacity to accommodate more than 103 million passengers by 2020.