Dubai International’s cargo facilities are set to undergo a major modernisation and expansion programme that will see the cargo capacity increased to 3.1-million tons by 2018, said a top official.

“Construction of the new facilities at Dubai International will take place in several stages to ensure the day-to-day working of the airport is not disrupted,” explained Jeff Gould, the VP Development at Dubai Airports, which owns and manages the operation and development of both of the emirate's airports – Dubai International as well as Dubai World Central.

Over the next few months, construction is set to begin on a 30,000 sq m addition to Dubai International’s 1.2 million tonne cargo mega terminal (CMT) as part of Dubai Airports’ $7.8 billion strategic plan for 2020, he revealed.

This will boost its capacity by 25 per cent to 1.5-million tonnes a year, he added.

Dubai International’s original cargo facilities, Hall A and Freight Gate 1, located adjacent to the CMT, will also undergo a complete refurbishment. Together these facilities will be dedicated for the sole use of Emirates airline, he said.

According to him, a new transhipment facility with capacity for 400,000 tonnes of freight a year is also under construction.
Once complete, it will handle about 60 per cent of cargo transferred between Dubai International and Dubai World Central, Dubai’s second airport.

The new facility will be erected on the former site of the Airport Expo building which was partially demolished earlier this year to make way for it and a new baggage processing facility.

The new infrastructure, said Gould, responds to growing volumes of freight being transported through Dubai.

The total annual cargo volumes across both airports are projected to surge from the 2.19-million tonnes recorded last year to 4.1-million tonnes by 2020, he noted.

While the greater flexibility at Dubai World Central is attracting an increasing number of dedicated cargo operators, Dubai International will remain an important cargo hub with growth in belly cargo driven by Emirates airline’s ongoing network expansion, he added.

Chris Garton, SVP, Operations at Dubai Airports said the continued growth in cargo volumes as well as the size of the airport meant that cargo facilities could no longer be clustered into one area.

"The new infrastructure will not only increase our capacity but go a long way to simplifying what has become an increasing complex cargo operation as the airport has grown," he added.-TradeArabia News Service