Dubai opens 2nd airport
2010-06-27 17:30
Dubai - Dubai on Sunday opened its second airport, which is touted to become the world's largest when completed, with services initially confined to cargo traffic.
The first plane landed on the sole runway of the Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai Airports said in a statement.
Three air freight companies have begun operations from the new airport, while 12 others are expected to follow, it said.
Passenger traffic is scheduled to begin by the end of March 2011 with an annual capacity of five million passengers.
Located in the desert on the outskirts of Dubai, DWC-Al Maktoum International plans to feature five runways and boast an annual capacity of 160 million passengers and 12 million tons of cargo when completed.
"This step strengthens the position of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates on the global map of freight transport," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, the head of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.
The new airport is situated around 40km from the current airport of Dubai - the Middle East's largest, which handled 42 million passengers in 2009.
It is part of a grand project announced during Dubai's economic boom, but the pace of progress appears to have slowed due to the financial crisis that has hit the Gulf emirate over the past two years.
- SAPA