More than 40 million passengers to use Dubai International Airport by 2014

More than 40 million passengers will be using Dubai International Airport by the year 2014, more than double the current figure, making it one of the busiest air terminals in the world, according to a recent study.

The largest group among these passengers will be tourists, including incentive travellers and leisure tourists, signalling Dubai's firm position as a year-round leisure and shopping destination, fuelled by the completion of several record-breaking landmarks, including the world's tallest building, the largest man-made island, the biggest shopping mall, first underwater luxury hotel and one of the world's biggest recreation and theme parks.

The figures, published in the 2nd volume of Madar Research Special on "Dubai Knowledge Economy 2003-2008", says that the expansion of both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 would meet the expected rush by the year 2008. However, the pressure on airport personnel would be heavy.

"The quantum jump in the number of passengers at Dubai International Airport has provided enough indicators as to where Dubai is heading," says Brigadier Saeed bin Belailah, Director, DNRD. "It should not come as a surprise to anyone that the landmark commercial and residential projects initiated by Dubai will result in an increased inflow of visitors and residents. The challenge is to come up with solutions to live up to the expectations of the world."

"At DNRD, there is a constant endeavour to find solutions that will be effective now as well as in the future. Our strategy is driven by IT because future passenger handling systems should ideally be automated and unmanned. We have already initiated this process by implementing eGate, which provides entry and exit through an e-card to pre-registered passengers. We will intensify the campaign to attract more users for eGate in order to speed up the flow of passengers further," adds Brig. Bin Belailah.

Ten years from now, Burj Dubai and Dubailand, two of the biggest world-scale projects would be completed, creating the need for thousands of more employees and attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors. In addition, New Dubai, stretching from Dubai World Trade Centre up to Jebel Ali Free Zone, would be the throbbing pulse of a world-class metropolis.

"The challenges seem to be mind-boggling, but DNRD has lined up a series of initiatives that will ensure that Dubai airport will have fast-track passenger clearance," said Brig. Bin Belailah. "While many of the schemes are in planning stages, the recently announced Distinguished Guest initiative will reduce the pressure on our staff to a great extent. The Distinguished Guest scheme is aimed at frequent business travellers and consultants who need to make several business trips in a year. The sponsoring companies can buy a pre-loaded electronic card that gives access several times, until the expiry of the card, without the need for applying for visas or renewals."

The DNRD currently issues more than 6000 e-cards per month, which provide access to the eGate at the Dubai International Airport and an average of over 1800 visitors use the facility per day.

The DNRD has been handling an increasing volume of passengers from all over the world in recent times. According to the Department of Civil Aviation's statistics, the Dubai International Airport handled nearly 18 million passengers in 2003, compared to just 5 million in 1992.

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