Dubai International airspace capacity up by 25%

Airspace capacity at Dubai International Airport has increased by 25 percent and doubled at Al Maktoum International Airport following a restructuring project.

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Air Navigation Services, said that 2017 has been an ‘exceptional and ground breaking year’.

He highlighted that the establishment of the Contingency Approach Control Room (CACR), which oversees and ensures the seamless continuity of air traffic flow during emergencies, as well the launch of the Dubai Academy for Air Traffic Management and the airspace restructuring project, with investment totaling Dh60 million.

As well as expanding capacity, Sheikh Ahmed said the airspace-restructuring project would terminate previous delays caused by airlines having to wait for air traffic control clearance before landing due to congested skies in the past.

Figures showed that in 2015 airline delays caused losses of Dh9 billion at airports in the Middle East.

Sheikh Ahmed added that in addition to the operational benefits it has yielded, its implementation has also enabled carriers flying from Dubai International Airport to save a total of Dh53 million from their annual budgets.

He indicated in a statement that the successful implementation of these projects are only initial steps that lead to the launch of a series of ‘larger than life’ projects in the near future to transform Dubai into a top global airport hub.

The statement added that air traffic controllers at Dubai Air Navigation Services have managed more than 500,000 air traffic movements in Dubai’s airspace throughout 2017, which included both civilian and military aircrafts.

This is forecast to rise to over 600,000 air traffic movements in Dubai’s airspace by 2020.

International passenger figures at Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International airport are set to increase to 124 million passengers by 2023.