Al Maktoum airport eyes 25-30 passenger airlines

New airport to launch passenger operations on October 27, 2013 with two budget carriers, Nasair and Wizz Air

Dubai: Dubai World Central (DWC) airport (Al Maktoum Airport, Jebel Ali)  will see around 25-30 airlines operating from the new airport in about two years time, according to a senior Dubai Airports official.

The airport body said on Wednesday, Dubai World Central airport will kick off passenger flight operations on October 27 this year with two budget carriers – Saudi Arabia’s nasair and Europe’s Wizz Air – as launch carriers.

“While the airport commence operations with two carriers this year, I expect around 25-30 airlines operating from DWC by 2015. And that will be a mix of international and regional carriers,” Jamal Al Hai, Dubai Airports’ executive senior vice president for International Affairs and Corporate Communications, told Gulf News on the sidelines of a conference to announce Wizz Air’s Dubai debut.

“The DWC is ready for almost 30 airlines. You will see some of the airlines, including even those that are already operating out of Dubai International and serving point-to-point, move to the new airport,” he said.The airport currently has the capacity to handle up to seven million passengers per year, with further expansion planned. “We do have a master plan of expanding quickly. I think the announcement of World Expo 2020 [if Dubai wins the bid for it] will speed up things,” said Al Hai.

Upon completion, DWC will become the world’s largest airport with five runways and an ultimate capacity of 160m passengers and 12 million tons of cargo per annum.

Asked if the airport is now fully ready to start passenger operations, Al Hai said: “It is ready now. It’s just a matter of [getting] certification from the authorities including the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and some local authorities. We are almost there.”

The passenger terminal will undergo a full testing and trial programme over the coming months to ensure a seamless opening, Dubai Airports said.

Meanwhile, Saudi-based nasair plans to operate over 50 flights per week between Dubai and a number of destinations in Saudi Arabia. The airline’s CEO, Captain François Bouteiller, said in a statement that from October nasair’s business travellers will be able to enjoy same-day travel between DWC and all major Saudi cities.