Dubai International Airport is progressing swiftly with its $7.8 billion expansion project which on completion will boost the world's second busiest international hub’s capacity to over 90 million passengers, said a report.

The mammoth project involves the expansion and modernization of Terminal 1 and 2 and also the completion of Concourse D by 2015.

This is in addition to the opening of the passenger terminal of Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai World Central (DWC) last year which will be transformed into an international travel hub in the next few years, stated Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Dubai Airports, in the February edition of Via Dubai, the monthly bilingual newsletter of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.

In his message in Via Dubai, Sheikh Ahmed said: “By any measurement, 2013 was an exceptional year for the UAE due to the tremendous achievements the country has made in almost every economic domain in general and aviation sector in particular. This complements the amazing progress achieved by the UAE over the years and which are etched in our memories and reflects our passion to excel in every domain.”

He praised the support of local and international stakeholders for their contribution for making 2013 an exceptional year of unprecedented growth and achievement for the aviation industry in Dubai.

Sheikh Ahmed said the UAE stunned the world by bagging the rights, through a multi-tier selection process, to host World Expo in Dubai in 2020. "The selection of UAE to stage the world’s third biggest global event after the Olympics and FIFA World Cup is a testimony to the professional approach and adept planning worked out by all the parties concerned in a way that makes all of us proud," he added.

Also last year, Dubai Airshow recorded the biggest deals in the civil aviation history exceeding $213.4 billion, stamping the emirate’s strong position as an aviation business hub, said the top government official.

He said the phenomenal number of passengers handled by Dubai International Airport last year will be yet another prove of 2013 being an exceptional year. Preliminary results show that the number of passengers surpassed 66.4 million compared with the 57 million recorded in the year 2012.

“We should pursue with passion and determination our biggest goal of Dubai becoming the number one airport in the world, not only for international passengers, which it is expected to become by 2015, but also in terms of services and facilities for the passengers. I personally believe that this achievement will the biggest and will go a long way towards our gigantic ambition to have the world’s excellent infrastructure that will support the local and international aviation industry,” remarked Sheikh Ahmed.

CAA director general Mohammed Ahli said the emirates continues its amazing growth rate with more airlines and frequencies to and from different parts of the world.

"Dubai International Airport is moving forward towards becoming the world’s top airport for international passengers by 2015 after recording 66 million passengers in 2013," he observed.

Ahli pointed out that despite the phenomenal growth that Dubai had been witnessing over the years, it had an excellent aviation safety track record and its stakeholders have been working towards maintaining the hard-earned excellence.

In the cover story interview, Ibrahim Ahli, the director of Dubai Air Navigation Services (DANS) Serco, shares insights into the airspace constraints and what is being done to clear the crowded skies.

He said the UAE airspace system was projected to accommodate 1.2 million aircraft movements by 2025. "This target is broadly equivalent to the current volume of traffic handled in the New York or London areas. So the answer is yes – this needs to be given top priority.The airspace will come under enhanced pressure with Dubai getting the rights to host the Expo 2020 whose three-fourth visitors are expected to be from outside the UAE," he stated.

“The importance of managing the UAE airspace efficiently is obvious, but the importance of harmonization with adjacent (and beyond) states is imperative. Without enhancing cooperation from these states, our growth will be hampered, and severe departures- as well as arrivals - delays are inevitable,” he added. -TradeArabia News Service