UAE investing $20bn in airport projects
23 May 2007
The DWCI is part of the $60 billion airport developments currently under way in the region. On its own, the UAE accounts for one-third of the total spending.
The new airport will be the centerpiece of the massive 140 square kilometre city taking shape at Jebel Ali and will initially handle five to seven million passengers. When complete, the airport will have the capacity to handle up to 120 million passengers. The $6 billion first phase of construction also comprises a massive cargo-handling complex with an annual capacity of 12 million tonnes.
When fully on stream, Dubai World Central International airport will be ten times the size of Dubai International Airport and will handle more passengers than the world's busiest airport in Atlanta, which handled 83.5 million passengers in 2004.
The 140-square-kilometre DWC development is designed to serve the Emirate's passenger and cargo air transportation needs until 2050 and beyond. It will handle over 120 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo a year, and will also employ more than one million people. The mega city is being designed to home a population base of 600,000.
Work on the airport's first 4.5 kilometre CAT III runway is due for completion. It is designed to handle the new generation Airbus A380 aircraft and will enable the airport and Dubai Logistics City (DLC) to commence operations as the world's largest freighter airport and logistics hub.
