Dubai redesigns airspace to boost capacity

The Dubai aviation sector marked a new milestone on Sunday by unveiling a designed airspace programme to ensure increased airspace capacity for meeting the predicted major surge in air traffic demand by 2020 and beyond.
The Air Space Restructuring (ARP) project aims at delivering crucial benefits to the aviation sector in the UAE at large by increasing access to all airports within the country, Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans) said.
Dans, the air navigation services provider of Dubai and the Northern Emirates, said ARP ensures the implementation of 90 new air traffic management procedures and the introduction of 150 new way points, in addition to the training of 168 air traffic controllers to guarantee the successful and seamless transition to the new design of a controlled airspace for Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
In a statement, dans said the project deliverables cascade into specific transformational results on an annual basis. These include enabling airlines to save fuel consumption of a total value of $14.6 million, driving CO2 emission reductions of 90,401 metric tonnes, while enhancing air traffic movement capacity to accommodate continuous growth in the controlled airspace for Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
Mohammed A. Ahli, director-general of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and the CEO of dans, said the initiative is in accordance with the vision of the nation's leaders to shape the future of aviation and in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
"We are proud to be among the leading entities who have contributed and supported in the delivery and implementation of the new airspace design of the UAE. We appreciate the close support we received from Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Emirates airline and Chief Executive of the Emirates Group, and Sultan Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, as well as the active management and cooperation from the General Civil Aviation Authority," said Ahli.
The past three years have demonstrated the importance of cross-sector collaboration for the benefit of the UAE aviation sector, said Ahli.
Leading the implementation of the new airspace design in Dubai, dans has allocated a full-fledged team of its air traffic management professionals who supported and collaborated with all the entities and members of the Air Space Restructuring project over the past three years.
The first phase of the project, which delivered the new design of the terminal airspace of the UAE, was fully funded by Dans. The organisation in partnership with Abu Dhabi Airports Company has been a major shareholder in the third phase of the project, which saw the implementation of the final design.
Dans also provides air navigation services for airport authorities and several airlines.
- issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com