Center Japanese Momentum: Half III – Dubai

Within the first two components in a sequence of options highlighting the exceptional development of the Center Japanese aviation sector we explored the respective potential of tasks in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. In some ways such developments have been attempting to emulate the success of Dubai, which, with its record-breaking skyscrapers, lush lodges and quickly increasing transport infrastructure, epitomises the towering aspirations of the area.

Of all of the airports within the Center East, Dubai Worldwide Airport has led the best way when it comes to passenger figures and worldwide stature.

“Of all of the airports within the Center East, Dubai Worldwide Airport has led the best way when it comes to passenger figures.”

Such is the extent of aviation development within the emirate that sufficient confidence was positioned in complimenting the prevailing airport and its new $4.5bn terminal with one other mammoth venture – the $33bn Al Maktoum Worldwide Airport. In current months, nonetheless, even the fabled Dubai ‘bubble’ has proved vulnerable to the worldwide monetary downturn. In February, a $10bn bailout plan was introduced to cope with mounting money owed – shrouding the emirate’s seemingly inevitable brilliant future in uncertainty.

In our third Center Japanese airports characteristic, we study each the story behind the success of Dubai Worldwide Airport and the challenges now dealing with the brand new Al Maktoum Worldwide Airport, which is because of start preliminary operations subsequent 12 months.

Dubai enters the highest ten

With 2008 marking the profitable, albeit rescheduled, opening of Terminal 3 and January 2009 witnessing a 6% improve in passenger figures, Dubai Worldwide Airport seems to be remaining ready of energy.

Dubai Airports Firm (DAC), which was based to supervise operations at each Dubai Worldwide Airport and Al Maktoum Airport, believes its experiences up to now will assist overcome any present uncertainty. Its vice chairman of communications Anita Mehra says: “We do have an financial disaster however Dubai has been by way of many crises and has all the time managed to vary by way of a resilience and constructive power that issues will decide up once more. The Emirate is a hub for aviation and can also be an essential vacation spot for tourism, leisure, conferences, enterprise, commerce and export.”

For a metropolis that solely launched electrical energy in 1952, Dubai’s rise has been speedy. The progress of Dubai Worldwide Airport is highlighted in its outstanding entrance in to the worldwide high ten airports record (when it comes to worldwide passenger figures) in 2007, having solely been positioned twenty eighth in 1997.

“Dubai Worldwide Airport seems to be remaining ready of energy.”

It’s no shock Dubai’s airport has grown quickly. The airport’s goal of turning into a gateway between Europe and the Far East whereas serving the vacationer and enterprise calls for of Dubai has all the time been supported fiercely by native authorities by way of extraordinary funding and speedy growth insurance policies.

In April 2007, management of Dubai Worldwide Airport and the forthcoming Al Maktoum Worldwide Airport separated from the federal government and the brand new firm DAC was established.

This variation in construction is a transparent indication of the transitional section Dubai’s aviation sector is at present present process because it appears to be like to steadiness the event of the prevailing airport with the opening of one other in Dubai’s Jebel Ali space. “We at the moment are underneath Dubai Airports Firm and have created a really sturdy business model that clearly exhibits the broader worldwide scene about our enterprise technique,” Mehra says. “We have now quite a few manufacturers, which incorporates Dubai World Central [the huge, multi-phase urban land development in proximity to Al Maktoum International Airport] after which quite a few sub manufacturers reminiscent of Govt Flight Centre [for VIP passenger services] and the Dubai Flower Centre [a cargo facility that caters for flowers and perishables].”

Terminal velocity – Dubai’s record-breaking third terminal

The introduction of Terminal 3 on the finish of final 12 months has actually added a brand new dimension to Dubai Airport. With an annual capability of 43 million passengers, the brand new terminal, which is solely for Emirates Airways, is the world’s largest constructing when it comes to ground house, stretching over 1,500,000m².

Satirically, additionally it is particularly designed to scale back strolling distances for passengers. “While you arrive at T3 you’ll be able to see we’ve got put the terminal itself simply 10m away from underneath the apron so that you don’t should stroll round it such as you do in Terminal 1,” Mehra says. “The constructing has state-of-the-art design and structure, so it’s visually interesting. and on the identical time will increase effectivity.”

Taking what’s now perceived as an business lesson in how to not open a brand new terminal from final 12 months’s a lot publicised failings at Heathrow’s T5, the $4.5bn constructing was opened in cautious phases. From 14 October 2008, flights to Africa and different GCC nations turned operational earlier than different area’s flights have been launched to the terminal, which was totally operational by 2 December that 12 months.

“The introduction of Terminal 3 on the finish of 2008 added a brand new dimension to Dubai Airport.”

“We have been alleged to open up Terminal 3 in Could 2008 however it wasn’t potential. We didn’t need to ship an unfinished product, particularly when the summer season season might be our busiest.

“In consequence, final summer season turned out to be probably the most environment friendly we ever had,” Mehra says.

Doubling the quantity of retail house at Dubai Airport, Terminal 3 additionally performs host to 180 check-in counters – confirming its sturdy passenger focus.

“Quite a lot of the design is geared toward buyer satisfaction – from the primary footstep into the terminal to boarding the plane,” Mehra says. “Expertise and a excessive degree of customer support have been mixed to be able to chill out the passenger earlier than flying.”

Extensively thought-about by business specialists as one of many defining mega terminal tasks of 2008, DAC will now turns its consideration to increasing Terminal 2 (due for completion in 2010) in addition to creating the third concourse, which can deal with the Airbus A380s, and pursuing plans for a fourth terminal.

Dubai and future airport demand

In the meantime, DAC additionally has to show the necessity for a brand new passenger and cargo hub that can be ten instances bigger than Dubai Airport and Dubai Cargo Village mixed.

Many questioned whether or not demand might match the dimensions of Al Maktoum Worldwide Airport when the venture was initially introduced in 1997. Now, with a unstable world monetary local weather negating future passenger site visitors forecasts, doubters have been fast to learn a lot into current delays to the venture.

“Headlines within the papers concerning the delays that blame licence issues or not having sufficient cash for infrastructure are usually not true,” Mehra says “We need to open up Al Maktoum Airport the identical means we did Terminal 3 and the elevated the capability of the terminals at Dubai Worldwide Airport permits us extra time.”

“The primary passenger terminal at Al Maktoum Worldwide Airport is predicted to open mid 2010.”

Initially scheduled to open halfway by way of this 12 months, the primary passenger terminal on the $33bn airport is now anticipated to open mid 2010. The location is initially anticipated to primarily serve cargo, low-cost airways and constitution operations – the final being a service at present unavailable on the extra congested Dubai Worldwide Airport. Nevertheless, with development of the management tower and runway full, there’s nonetheless at present no affirmation of which airways will function on the new location.

“To start with, capability will keep the place it’s for quite a few years. We don’t know which airways are going there – simply that they are going to be low-cost, constitution and cargo operations,” Mehra says.

For an airport billed as turning into the biggest on the earth, this appears a suspiciously obscure introduction. Whereas Dubai Worldwide Airport appears to be like set to proceed its push up the worldwide airport league tables, it stays to be seen how DAC will assist the approaching arrival of Al Maktoum Worldwide Airport throughout a interval when many different airports and airways all over the world can be adjusting for falling passenger figures.

Quotes on this article have been taken from MEED Airport Initiatives 2009 convention.