Dubai Airports has confirmed that runway engineering work at Dubai International is scheduled to finish on time this weekend.
Since May 1, the entire 4,000-metre long northern runway has been resurfaced, while the southern runway has seen an upgrade in lighting and construction of additional taxiways and rapid exits (see news, April 15).
During this period, the number of flights at Dubai International was reduced by 26 per cent with many services moving over to Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central.
Now the work is undergoing certification by the General Civil Aviation Authority — the final step in the process — and the airport should be back to full capacity from Monday.
A statement from Dubai Airports said: "The upgrades were needed to accommodate an increasing number of aircraft as traffic at the airport continues to grow rapidly."
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said: "The opening of the northern runway and ramp up to a full schedule, when combined with the upcoming Eid holidays, will result in a significant surge in passenger numbers from July 21.
"We have committed the resources and undertaken detailed planning to ensure that the transition to full two-runway operations together with the moving of flights from DWC to Dubai International is smoothly and successfully managed."
Graham Smith
