Dubai airport chief calls for extra capacity
DUBAI – Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports’ chief executive, has indicated that to complete the growth in hotels and tourism infrastructure, there is a pressing need to increase airspace capacity across the Gulf region.
At a special session during the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference, Griffiths said, “We will have the accommodation on the ground but what we must address is the very real challenge of airspace capacity.
“This means unlocking current ‘no fly’ zones around the GCC which potentially pose a fundamental barrier to growth.”
Griffiths acknowledged it was not an issue that countries could solve independently and called for intra-regional co-operation.
He said that if this was not addressed it could prove a significant problem for Dubai and the region as a whole.
On the imminent launch of Terminal 3 at Dubai International, Griffiths, declined confirm an opening date, saying a ‘big bang’ was the worse possible scenario in terms of opening a complex operation such as an airport.
“Bangkok, Hong Kong, Heathrow Terminal 5 all suffered problems in this respect,” he said. “Terminal 3 will open when it is ready.”
Griffiths said Dubai needed more airport capacity “and we must supply it if the emirate is to remain it a success”.
He raised doubt as to whether the existing international airport would continue to operate once the Al Maktoum International facility at Dubai World Central is fully operational.
“Our challenge is building to cope with continued 20 per cent annual growth in passenger numbers,” he said. “It is a big assumption that Dubai will always be a two-airport city.”
Ian Jarrett
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