UAE Airports: Setting Sky-High Standards

THE UAE is known for its thriving aviation industry, with some of the busiest airports in the world serving millions of passengers every year. The government accords priority to expand major airports of the country to handle a big boom in air travel until 2030 by investing in aviation infrastructure and services.

The emirate’s airports are expanding in a fast-forward mode to welcome an estimated 140 million passengers this year compared to 134 million in 2023. It has become a hub for aviation investment, attracting local and international investors looking to capitalise on the industry's growth potential.

The UAE, which aims to host 40 million visitors by 2031, is implementing a multi-billion dollar airport development and expansion project that will help the airports to handle more than 300 million passengers annually. The emirate has also outlined plans to build new airports and expand existing ones to stay competitive as a global aviation hub.

The expansion of airports is very important for the strategically located UAE as Abu Dhabi and Dubai remain popular destination for final and connecting flights. Both the cities, are known for their tourist attractions and worldwide connectivity to airports on six continents, have established as prominent business and leisure travel destination as passengers are eager to fly on Emirates and Etihad through Dubai and Abu Dhabi, respectively.

INVESTMENT IN AIRPORTS

After the inauguration of Terminal A, Zayed International Airport is now able to handle 45 million passenger annually. The airport’s capacity will increase to 65 million passengers in the second phase of expansion.

Another high-profile investment projects in the UAE's aviation sector is the expansion of Dubai International Airport, which is the world’s busiest airports . The airport has been undergoing a multi-billion dollar expansion project to increase its capacity and accommodate the growing number of passengers passing through its terminals.

The current capacity of Dubai International can reach up to 100 million passengers, and, with ongoing improvement work since 2016, the airport’s capacity can reach up to around 120 million passengers. The airport, which handled 86.9 million passengers last year, is on track to surpass its all-time high mark of 89.1 million, which was recorded in 2018. It is expected to receive 88.8 million passengers this year and 93.8 million guests in 2025.

In addition, Al Maktoum International Airport is also part of the expansion project. Upon completion, it is anticipated to be bigger than Dubai International with 250 million passenger capacity. Currently, it handles only a portion of Dubai’s passenger traffic, cargo and private aircraft flights.

In addition to Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports, Sharjah International Airport has also been expanding and upgrading its facilities and services to keep pace with the increasing demand for air travel, as well as to attract more airlines and passengers to its terminals. It is implementing a Dh1.2 billion terminal expansion that will increase the airport’s capacity to 20 million passengers a year. The expansion project will separate the arrivals from departures areas and enhance its systems and amenities. It is the largest phase of expansion work being undertaken at a total cost of Dh2.4 billion and is expected to be completed in 2027. Improvements at the airport will include additional self-check-in kiosks, electronic boarding gates, a spacious waiting zone, dinning facilities, and a transit passenger hotel.

Sharjah International Airport is home of the Middle East and North Africa region’s largest low-cost carrier Air Arabia and it added six new passenger destinations and three air cargo routes in 2023. The airport handled about 13.1 million passengers in 2022 and will be able to handle up to 25 million passengers by 2026.

DIVERSE DESTINATIONS

Aviation experts and analysts are of the view that expansion and redevelopment of the major airports will enable the UAE airlines to operate more flights to diverse destinations across the world. Referring to Dubai International, they said the airport is connected to more than 250 destinations across 104 countries through 95 international airlines. The enhancements in capacity and service levels over the coming 10 years have been necessitated as it home base carriers ordered another 120 aircraft — 90 Boeing 777s dor Emirates and 30 Boeing 787 for flydubai.

Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the General Civil Aviation Authority, recently underscored the UAE’s robust aviation sector, boasting over 521 aircraft belonging to national carriers and a total of 924 registered aircraft in the country. He also noted that over 22,000 unmanned aerial vehicles for amateurs are also registered with the authority.

Experts said investment in UAE airports has been on the rise in recent years, driven by a combination of factors including the country's strategic location at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, its robust economy, and its commitment to infrastructure development.

“The UAE government has also been proactive in promoting the aviation sector as a key driver of economic growth, with ambitious plans to expand and upgrade its airport facilities to meet the increasing demand for air travel,” they added.

ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY

Investment in UAE airports has not been limited to infrastructure projects as the country has also been investing in technology and innovation to enhance the efficiency and safety of its aviation industry.

For example, the UAE has been a pioneer in the development and adoption of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for various applications, including surveillance, cargo delivery, and passenger transport.

The country has also been exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology to streamline airport operations, improve security and serve passengers. A plan is also on card to invest in new security scanners to allow laptops, liquids, and other objects typically needed to be removed for screening to remain inside hand luggage.

Dubai International is also experimenting a project with camera to allow for people to simply walk through an area and clear immigration without even stopping at the countries.

MIDDLE EAST AIRPORTS

— muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com