Dubai Airports will not constrain growth, plans to pursue its expansion

Dubai Airports CEO, Paul Griffiths, confirmed plans to pursue its expansion plans and spend "billions of Dirham", to avoid constraints on the airport's growth (Bloomberg, 01-Feb-2010). Mr Griffiths added aviation contributes to up to 25% of the UAE's economy. Dubai Airports aims to increase passenger numbers by 13.6% year-on-year in 2010 to 46 million passengers. Passenger traffic grew 9.2% year-on-year in 2009 to 40.9 million passengers. The airport operator plans to increase capacity of Dubai International Airport from 60 million passengers p/a to 75 million passengers p/a by 2012. Capacity will reportedly eventually be expended to 97 million passengers p/a, while the upcoming Al Maktoum International Airport at Jebel Ali will eventually have capacity to handle 120 million passengers p/a.

Dubai Airports: "Dubai's vision, attitude towards airport infrastructure is that if you constrain, the growth will go elsewhere. So we are not going to constrain that growth," Paul Griffiths, CEO. Source: Bloomberg, 01-Feb-2010.