Prolong the life of Dubai International Airport: Dubai Aviation City Corporation

Dubai Aviation City Corporation - Dubai World Central (DWC) Executive Chairman, Khalifa Al Zafein, stated Dubai has to "prolong the life" of Dubai International Airport amid hesitation over the economic situation (Gulf News, 22-Apr-2010). The company is "testing the market" in preparation for future phases of development at Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport, which opens cargo operations on 25-Jun-2010 and will have the capacity to handle 5-7 million passengers p/a. The airport will have an ultimate capacity to handle 150 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo p/a.

Dubai Aviation City Corporation: "We are also testing the market for the future phases. We are living in a time of difficulty now. Not because of what is happening in Dubai, but because there are a lot of future partners who are hesitating due to the economic situation. If you had asked me this two years ago, the story would've been very different. I would've told you that we would be ready by 2025 for the ultimate phase of the airport. Now, I cannot say that. We have to see how we can prolong the life of Dubai and take some of the overspill capacity to this airport, rather than having most of the airlines shift their base to the new location," Khalifa Al Zafein, Executive Chairman. Source: Gulf News, 22-Apr-2010.