new aviation hub
DWC gateway opens for business
A new air freight gateway swung into operation on 27 June – the US$33 billion Dubai World Central Al-Maktoum International airport – and it is forecast to be the world’s largest such facility by 2020 when all its phases of construction are complete. Ian Martin Jones reports
B
uilt on open land about 40km from the existing Dubai International airport, this massive new facility opened quietly on 27 June. A week earlier, the Dubai-based flag-carrier Emirates Airline became the first carrier to land its aircraft
at Dubai World Central Al-Maktoum International airport (DWC), flying in a 103-tonne payload B777-200 freighter as part of the final preparations prior to the official launch of the airport. The successful test well and truly paved the way for the
DWC facility to open as scheduled, positioning Dubai as one of an elite group of two-airport cities and opening a new chapter in the plans of the emirate to emerge as one of the world’s leading aviation hubs. On its opening day, the first all-cargo operations
into the new airport were inaugural flights operated by Rus Aviation, Skyline and Aerospace Consortium. Other cargo carriers that have signed up to start operating into the DWC Al-Maktoum International airport in the first few weeks of its opening include Aban Air, ACI, Aerospace Consortium, Aviation Service Management, Coyne Airways, EuroAsian Services, Gatewick, Ramjet, Reem Style, Rial Aviation, Rus Aviation, Skyline, Sonic Jet, SunGlobal and United Aviation Services. The operational start dates vary for each of the freight carriers, but the intention is that services will be introduced gradually over time.
And those carriers will be flying into the first stage of a
massive new US$33 billion development of a 140 square km airport that features a 4.5km A380-capable CAT III runway, 64 remote aircraft stands and a common-user cargo terminal with an annual capacity to process 250,000 tonnes of cargo. After the freighter operators have settled in, passenger operations are scheduled to start at the end of March 2011. When all the phased stages of its construction have been
completed, DWC is expected to be the largest airport in the world, with five runways, four terminal buildings and capacity for 160 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo. It will also contain the Dubai Logistics City, the DWC-Aviation City, the Residential City, the Commercial City, the Enterprise Park and the Golf City with three 18-hole courses, a range of high-end boutique hotels and a spa resort. “Phase 1 is the first step in a long infrastructure
Sheikh Ahmed hails the new gateway as a “strong catalyst” for development in the region
development project that over time will see our new airport transformed into the world’s largest global gateway and a multimodal logistics hub that plays an increasingly integral role in the ongoing economic and social development of Dubai,” said HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Dubai Airports. “Dubai World Central will not only cater to the region’s economic growth but will be a strong
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