Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths Named CAPA Asia Pacific Airport Chief Executive of the Year

A new category established for 2015, this award is given to the airport executive who has demonstrated outstanding strategic thinking and innovative direction for the growth of their business and the industry.

Mr Griffiths was selected for successfully managing Dubai through a massive expansion programme and completing an unprecedented runway improvement project.

“In 2014 Mr Griffiths oversaw one of the largest ever runway improvement projects, which required Dubai to operate with only one runway for three months,” Mr Harbison said. “Despite the runway closures Dubai was able to overtake Heathrow in 2014 as the world’s biggest international airport as passenger throughput increased by 6% to 70.5 million.”

CAPA noted that much of the UAE’s economic success comes from the performance and growth of Dubai International Airport. Mr Griffiths became CEO of Dubai Airports in 2007 and has since overseen the operations along with massive development. He managed Dubai InternationalAirport’s successful launch of Terminal 3 in 2008 and is now in the process of overseeing a USD7.8 billion expansion plan.

Concourse D will soon be completed with 32 additional gates, lifting Dubai's capacity from 75 to 90 million annual passengers. Mr Griffiths also leads Dubai World Central, which will eventually be the world’s largest airport with capacity to handle 240 million passengers and 16 million tonnes offreight annually once fully operational.