New airport passenger terminal in Jebel Ali opens

The passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport in Jebel Ali opened on Sunday. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister and ruler of Dubai, unveiled a ceremonial plaque installed at the entrance of the departure hall commemorating the occasion of the inauguration, being the first phase of the airport’s construction site in Dubai World Central Aviation City, which is 40 km away from the city.
The new facility has capacity for up to 7 million passengers per year and is serviced by one A380 capable runway, 64 remote aircraft stands and food and beverage facilities.
Sheikh and aviation officials toured the facility following the unveiling of a commemorative display. The opening was marked with the first arrival of a Wizz Air flight from Budapest, Hungary. Wizz Air will fly four times weekly from Al Maktoum to Budapest and Kiev, and three-times weekly to Bucharest and Sofia.
In addition, Jazeera Airways will commence operations with two weekly flights starting from Oct. 31. Recently, Gulf Air announced its intention to start daily operations to Bahrain on Dec. 8. Dubai Airport is in discussion with a number of other interested carriers.
Earlier, the Saudi-based Nasair announced its plans to operate flights to the new airport from a number of destinations in Saudi Arabia.
“The new airport will play an important role in the future development of Dubai as a center for trade, commerce, transport and logistics and tourism,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Dubai Airports.
“The opening of this facility signals the historic beginning of a long-term plan to build the largest airport in the world to accommodate the tremendous passenger growth and contribute to the continued economic and social development of Dubai,” he said.
“The location, convenience and compact nature of DWC are compelling attributes,” said Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports.
“Airline and customer interest in this airport continues to grow and we hope to announce additional services in the near future,” he said.
By the mid-2020s, Al Maktoum International Airport will have the capacity to handle 160 million passengers and 12 million tons of cargo a year.
The new passenger terminal offers full retail as well as food and beverage amenities. In addition, Dubai Metro will whiz around World Central and on into Dubai itself with an additional link to the current Dubai International Airport.