United Arab Emirates - Articles and news items

Northrop Grumman builds on air traffic management system success in Dubai

Airport news / 7 January 2011 /

Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems, continues to grow its international sales in the Middle East region with the supply of communication, navigation and surveillance systems for the recently opened Al Maktoum International Airport in Jebel Ali, Dubai which is set to become the world’s largest airport when it is fully completed. (more…)

How prepared are you?

Issue 4 2010 / 10 August 2010 /

Is your Airport community ready to respond to an aircraft accident? Do you work together for a common goal and do you know what that common goal is?

Emergency planning, or more specifically aircraft accident response, is not a new subject but it is certainly an ever developing one. In many parts of the world the development of that response is fairly well advanced and integrated amongst all stakeholders, however for others it is a relatively new concept with insufficient thought around the longer term impact, not only for the airport and airline, but also for the country. (more…)

Dubai Airports: a new chapter in world aviation

Issue 4 2008, Past issues / 1 August 2008 /

Dubai is undergoing dynamic growth in all areas of its economy, which has long diversified away from the oil sector.

Today, the contribution of the oil sector to Dubai’s GDP is under five per cent, while the services sector, with an average annual growth rate of 21 per cent since 2000, has been the key driver of Dubai’s economic rise. In 2005, the service sector constituted 74 per cent of Dubai’s GDP.

Dubai’s strategic plan for 2015 lays specific emphasis on travel and tourism, trade, and transportation and logistics, among others, as highly conducive sectors for future economic growth. Dubai’s investments in these sectors are in line with this greater plan. The value of investments in Dubai’s tourism, hospitality, leisure, entertainment, and real estate projects, over the next five to seven years is estimated to be approximately US$ 365 billion. (more…)

The master plan

Issue 4 2008, Past issues / 1 August 2008 /

In line with the government of Abu Dhabi’s aims to transform the capital of the UAE into a vibrant, broad-based economy, an increasing emphasis has been placed on the industrial, real estate and tourism development in the federation’s largest Emirate. Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), the owner operator of both the Emirate’s key aviation hubs (Abu Dhabi and Al Ain), is an intrinsic part of the government’s plans and with USD 6.8 billion earmarked for the development of Abu Dhabi International Airport alone, the city can easily boast to be home to one of the world’s most ambitious airport redevelopment projects ever.

Huge investments in the form of infrastructural, industrial, tourism, educational, sports and cultural projects are being pumped into the city with the clear agenda of placing Abu Dhabi firmly on the world map. Strong emphasis is being placed on the capital becoming an iconic, cultural destination with both the Guggenheim and Louvre having already committed to establishing museums in the city. Strong GDP growth will also help the UAE’s federal capital and wider Emirate achieve its target of attracting 2.7 million visitors by 2012 (Source: Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority). (more…)

Dubai, the world’s aviation hub in the making

Issue 4 2007, Past issues / 31 July 2007 /

Dubai is undergoing dynamic growth in all areas of its economy, which has long diversified away from the oil sector.

Today, the contribution of the oil sector to Dubai’s GDP is under five per cent, while the services sector, with an average annual growth rate of 21 per cent since 2000, has been the key driver of Dubai’s economic rise. In 2005, the service sector constituted 74 per cent of Dubai’s GDP.

Dubai’s strategic plan for 2015 lays specific emphasis on travel and tourism, trade and transportation and logistics, among others, as highly conducive sectors for future economic growth. Dubai’s investments in these sectors are in line with this greater plan. The value of investment in Dubai’s tourism, hospitality, leisure, entertainment and real estate projects over the next five to seven years is estimated to be around US $365 billion.

As a result of these developments, the number of visitors to Dubai, as well as the city’s resident population, will rise dramatically over the next few years. The rapid economic growth of the UAE, coupled with the emergence of Dubai as the busiest business and leisure hub of the region, calls for a radical expansion of its aviation infrastructure. Thus plans for Dubai’s logistics and aerospace sectors are very much grounded in realistic projections and well within its capabilities. (more…)

Firmly on Course

Issue 4 2007, Past issues / 31 July 2007 /

Redevelopment work at Abu Dhabi International Airport is progressing according to plan. A number of facilities are scheduled to go operational in the first half of 2008. These include a third passenger terminal, a second runway, a new state of the art air traffic control complex and the first phase of a free trade zone. The flagship facility, the Midfield Terminal, will come on stream by the end of 2010 and by then the Airport’s overall capacity will triple to 20 million passengers.

The ambitious USD $6.8 billion programme will allow for phased growth of passenger traffic to beyond 40 million per year from the current seven million, while cargo capacity will be boosted to 2.5 million tonnes per year. The programme, which aims at transforming ADIA into a world-class facility, is but one aspect of a fully-fledged Government strategy that will see the UAE capital Emirate evolve into an international business and tourism hub. (more…)

From humble beginnings

Issue 3 2006, Past issues / 11 September 2006 /

Aviation in Dubai was once limited to a single, modest port built on dusty wasteland. Now, it knows no limits. Dubai International Airport is expanding in a US$ 4.1 billion development programme, while 40 kilometres away, work has begun on constructing the world’s largest airport.

Aviation began in Dubai in 1937 when the first Imperial Airways flying boat, operating a weekly service between the UK and Pakistan, landed on the Dubai Creek. It was not until 1959 that the Dubai International Airport was established, following the construction of the first airfield on a vast expanse of wasteland some four kilometres from what used to be the edge of the city.

The modest facility consisted of an 1800-metre compacted runway, an apron area, a terminal building and a fire station. The airport was opened a year later in 1960 and was capable of handling aircraft up to the size of a DC-3. Almost a decade later, in 1969, Dubai International Airport accommodated some nine airlines serving a total of 20 destinations. Ten years later, in December 1980 to be more precise, the airport joined the International Civil Airports Association as an ordinary member. (more…)

Retail therapy

Issue 3 2006, Past issues / 11 September 2006 /

The major expansion projects designed to maintain the city of Abu Dhabi as a business and tourism hub have necessitated a parallel expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport in order to accommodate the ever increasing traffic growth. With Etihad Airways – the national carrier of the UAE – constantly increasing its destinations around the world, there was an even greater need to expand Abu Dhabi Duty Free’s retail area in line with the development of the airport itself.

The growth has made it essential for Abu Dhabi Duty Free to offer prestigious brands that would gratify the most exclusive shoppers travelling through the airport. The award winning Abu Dhabi Duty Free, having proved itself as a major player in the industry and as the second largest operation in the Middle East, is looking forward to the retail opportunities that this influx will bring.

The development of Abu Dhabi International Airport includes both a temporary and a long-term plan. For the temporary plan, Terminal 1A and Terminal 2 were opened in 2005 as a first phase and a new arrivals shop was opened in Terminal 1, near the luggage conveyer, to serve passengers’ shopping needs while waiting for their luggage. The 100 square metre shop vends liquor, tobacco, fragrances, confectionary and more. (more…)

Planning for the 21st Century

Issue 4 2005, Past issues / 25 November 2005 /

Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will soon deliver a massive expansion of airport capacity with far less difficulty and in a more cost-effective manner than other comparable airports in the region and around the world.

Through a combination of foresight and timely intervention, Abu Dhabi, one of the fastest growing economies in the Middle East, will not face the daunting prospect of relocating and building a new airport to guarantee capacity for the 21st century.

Driven by the wealth of its oil and gas resources, this powerhouse of the United Arab Emirates has embarked on an ambitious strategy of diversifying its sources of income by increasing tourism and stimulating trade and investment. The expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport (ADIA) forms one of the cornerstones of this strategy. (more…)