As Dubai continues to grow in the tourism market, there is the need for a bigger airport, being Al Maktoum International Airport.
HH Sheikh Mohammed has recently approved plans for it’s development and creation for the years ahead.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
The Approved Plans for Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai…
HH Sheikh Mohammed over the weekend approved the plans for the new airport in Dubai, dubbed Al Maktoum.
Coming in at a whopping AED 128 billion, they are not messing around when it comes to investment.
Five terminal buildings have been approved by the Sheikh, which will house more than 400 aircraft gates.
There will be five parallel runways, which is three more than the current Dubai International Airport.
Furthermore, this infrastructure, which will also allow 12 million tons of cargo to be processed per year, will also provide a passenger capacity of 260 million per year, which will be larger than what Atlanta Airport handles in the U.S.
You can also expect Emirates to switch operations to Al Maktoum when it has been completed.
Within 10 years, all commercial operation will be transferred to the new airport.
This is similar to what they have done in Qatar with the transfer from Doha Airport to Hamad International.
Such plans for Al Maktoum have been met with excitement for those in Dubai also.
It will also increase residential demand in the South by one million people.
Strong Competition in the Middle East?
What we are seeing in the Middle East at the moment is fierce competition to secure tourism market share.
From the images seen in this article, you can see the imaginative and innovative plans for passenger experience.
If you look to neighbouring Saudi Arabia, they are also going through an incredible and intensive investment program for new airports and tourism infrastructure.
The Kingdom is wanting to achieve 330 million passengers per year by the end of the decade.
This, will of course, offer competition against Dubai and also neighbouring Abu Dhabi.
Such competition is the fact that the UAE is wanting to achieve similar numbers.
When you add the likes of Qatar, Bahrain & Oman also wanting to emulate the same model, it’s going to be interesting indeed.
Such competition will turn the Middle East into not just a travel hub, but also a tourism hub as well.
Banking on Air Travel Demand Sharply Rising…
All of these major investment plans are all well and good, but this is all dependent on the condition of air travel demand.
Post-pandemic, we have seen demand for travel explode, and that is unsurprising when everyone is locked in their homes.
However, there must come a time where such demand eases off.
Even so, there is intense confidence that numbers will continue to rise at high-rates.
This has been seen by the airlines where triple-digit aircraft orders have been made, which has necessitated a need for countries to build bigger airports.
But within all of this, there is clearly a level of confidence and optimism that the numbers will stay up.
Overall…
In conclusion, there is heavy excitement in Dubai for the new Al Maktoum International Airport.
Looking ahead, all eyes will of course be on how the development pans out, and whether everything will be built on time.
When this airport is at it’s full potential, it will definitely be seen as one of the powerhouses of the Middle East.
Coming alongside competition against Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, this will no doubt turn the region into a tourism hotbed in the years to come.
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