Transportation in Dubai
Encyclopedia
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) regulates transportation within the city of Dubai
, U.A.E..Its mission is to remain a municipal Traffic solution provider.
Initially started as Dubai transport in 1998, the government of Dubai revamped the system to unify it's services under the brand name "RTA" in 2006, in order to accommodate the metro and other facilities under one name.
Dubai has a very large bus
system run by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The bus system has 193 routes on weekdays and transports over 30 million people weekly. The Public Transport bus system is large and advanced but not large enough to accommodate the volume of people who use it. This means that in busy areas it is common that at the end of the day commuters may have to wait more than an hour before they can board a bus. Unfortunately the number of buses does not increase with the same rate as the amount of passengers, which makes this problem worse as time progresses.
The (RTA) has announced that Dubai roads will see 1616 new buses; a world record bus purchase. The buses will be of various sizes & models manufactured at the highest security & safety standards. The buses are equipped with the latest technologies such as voice announcement of the next stop, passengers counting system, bus-positioning system linked with the RTA Control Center, and internal & external display monitors. The new fleet is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2008.
Dubai also has an extensive taxi
system, by far the most frequently used means of public transport within the Emirate. There are both government-operated and private cab companies. The Dubai Transport Corporation operates cream-coloured taxis. Some of the private cab companies are Cars Taxi, National Taxi, Cititaxi and Metro Taxi. The meter generally begins as Dhs .
3.00' and is generally charged by distance at 1.5 Dhs.
/km. There are approximately 7500 taxis located in the city.
Because of the growing population, commuters in Dubai experience a high amount of traffic congestion
. The city has become the most congested city in the Middle East
. Professionals working in Dubai spend an average of 1 hour and 45 minutes commuting to and from work. The government has invested heavily in the Dubai's road infrastructure, although this has not kept pace with the increase in the number of vehicles. This, coupled with the induced traffic phenomenon, has led to growing problems of congestion. However, as of May 2009, with thousands of expatriate workers having lost their jobs and left back to their countries following the economic crisis, traffic congestion has eased significantly.
Traffic congestion, the single biggest concern among Dubai's 1.44 million residents, inflicts losses of Dh4.6 billion or 3.15% of the emirate's Dh146 billion GDP a year. The city has a car ownership rate of 541 cars per 1,000 population. This figure exceeds that of cities like New York City
[444 cars per 1,000 population], London
[345 cars per 1,000 population] and Singapore
[111 cars per 1,000 population]. If this trend continues, then by 2020, there will be 5.3 million registered cars in Dubai.
According to some traffic experts, Dubai is suffering from an originally flawed road system, with in-built bottlenecks on certain key routes such as the Dubai-Sharjah road. Over time, however, the new infrastructure including the Dubai Metro
, the new bridges and complex of flyovers is expected to ease congestion to some extent.
A further 500 km of roads plus 120 multi-level interchanges will also be built before 2020 at a cost of around 44 billion dirhams ($12 billion) as transport chiefs in the emirate aim to improve life for motorists.
There is currently a $3.89 billion Dubai Metro
project under construction for the emirate. The Metro system is expected to be partially operational by 2009 and fully operational by 2012. The construction contract for the project was given to Dubai Rapid Link (DURL), a consortium led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Also involved are two other Japanese corporations, Obayashi and Kajima, and a Turkish company, Yapi Merkezi. The metro will comprise two lines: the Green Line from Rashidiya to the main city center and the Red Line from the airport to Jebel Ali. The Dubai Metro (Green and Blue Lines) will have 70 kilometers of track and 43 stations, 33 above ground and ten underground. Trains are expected to run every 90 seconds when the project is completed. Recently, the Blue Line connecting Dubai International Airport to the new Jebel Ali Port and Dubai World Central International Airport
was announced. The route will run 47 km through Dubailand, but the exact number of stations is unknown. Dubai is building this train system to ease congestion on its road
network and to meet the transportation demands of its growing population.
Seven monorails are also slated to be constructed to help feed the Dubai Metro, connecting various places such as Dubailand, the Palm Jumeirah and other districts the main track. The first of these, the Palm Jumeirah Monorail
, is scheduled to open in April 2009, although the extension to the Dubai Metro is expected to open later.
there is a six road motorway from the airport
.
The Downtown Burj Dubai Tram System is a 4.6 km (2.9 mi) tram service that is planned to service the area around the Burj Khalifa. Announced in April 2008 by Emaar, the Dh
500 million system will have two separate lines. The first line, which is expected to open by the end of 2009, will run 1.1 kilometre (0.683510010314787 mi) from Dubai Metro's Burj Khalifa station to the Dubai Mall
with one stop at the Dubai Mall Hotel
. While this line will have trams running in both directions, the second line will only run in one direction. The second phase, expected to open in 2010, will service ten stations. The 4.6 km loop will travel clockwise and will have a total travel time of eight minutes.
In the same month, the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority announced the Al Sufouh Tram. This tram service would run 14.5 kilometres (9 mi) along Al Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina
to the Burj Al Arab and the Mall of the Emirates
. It is expected to connect with three stations of Dubai Metro's Red Line. Phase 1, expected to open in April 2011, will have 11 trains with 13 stations running 10 km (6.2 mi). Once Phase 2 is complete, the tram will add 14 more trains and six stations on the additional 4 km (2.5 mi). The planning and construction of the Al Sufouh Tram will be undertaken by a consortium of Alstom
, Besix
and Parsons
.
The trams for the network will be 44 m (144.4 ft) long, have a capacity of 300 passengers and will travel at a maximum speed of 50 km/h (31.1 mph) and an average commercial speed of 20 km/h (12.4 mph). Running for 20 hours each day, it will only take around 30 minutes to ride the entire length of the system. The Al Sufouh Tram will use Alstrom's Citadis
402. To provide safety, comfort and aesthetics, the Al Sufouh Tram will incorporate methods not found in many trams around the world. These trams will use ground-level power supply
; in other words, the trams will not need overhead cables. This recently-invented method, referred to also as "Aesthetic Power Supply" (APS), is currently only used in Bordeaux
, France
. The Al Sufouh Tram will also be the world’s first tram network to use platform screen doors at the stations, as well as a new Supervised Vehicle Operation (SVO) mode that will ensure accurate station stop and safety during passenger transfer.
In June 2010, the consortium led by France’s Alstom and the local/Belgian Belhasa Six Construct stopped work on the estimated $1.1bn Al-Sufouh tram project in Dubai because of irregular payments from the project client, Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA). The original completion date of April 2011 has also been extended.
Dubai is serviced by two large commercial ports, Port Rashid and Port Jebel Ali
. Dubai Creek and Port Saeed are used by local traders in dhow
s.
One of the more traditional methods of getting across Dubai Creek from Bur Dubai
to Deira
is through abras
, small boats that ferry passengers across the Dubai Creek, between abra stations in Bastakiya and Bani Yas Road, for a nominal charge of 1 UAE-Dirhams. They can be rented, along with an operator, for 100 UAE-Dirhams, approximately 27 US-Dollars. Recently, the Marine Transport Agency, part of the Road and Transportation Agency, has begun implementing the Dubai Water Bus System. The Water Bus began its service on Dubai Creek's water from July 2007.
The Dubai International Airport
is a hub for Emirates and FlyDubai
and has a large duty-free shopping centre. The airport has won numerous awards for its excellence in design and services . A third terminal was opened in October 2008. The new terminal is dedicated to Emirates Airlines and fully supports the new Airbus A380
. The completion of this terminal doubled the capacity of the airport.
Al Maktoum International Airport, currently under construction, will make a new free trade
area within Dubai and will be the centerpiece of the Jebel Ali Airport City. The airport was announced in 2004 and construction began in January 2005. The first part is expected to be completed by 2008. Although initially intended as a predominantly cargo airport, plans are afoot for the new Jebel Ali airport to handle some 120 million passengers per annum within 20 years, which would likely surpass Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, as the world's busiest airport.
Dubai is investing heavily in developing the reach of its airline, Emirates. The hope is to develop Dubai's air transportation industry to the point that passengers from any city can fly direct to Dubai. When Emirates Airline receives the Boeing 777-200LR
aircraft—part of its November 2005 order for forty-two 777s—it will be able to offer direct flights to nearly any major city in the world. The airline has also placed an order of 45 of Airbus' A380
'superjumbo' double decker aircraft, the largest of which has a capacity of 641 passengers. The A380 aircraft have already been charted to fly from late 2007 onwards.
In addition Etihad Airways
provides bus coaches between Dubai and Abu Dhabi International Airport
for Etihad customers.
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, U.A.E..Its mission is to remain a municipal Traffic solution provider.
Initially started as Dubai transport in 1998, the government of Dubai revamped the system to unify it's services under the brand name "RTA" in 2006, in order to accommodate the metro and other facilities under one name.
Roads
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
system run by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The bus system has 193 routes on weekdays and transports over 30 million people weekly. The Public Transport bus system is large and advanced but not large enough to accommodate the volume of people who use it. This means that in busy areas it is common that at the end of the day commuters may have to wait more than an hour before they can board a bus. Unfortunately the number of buses does not increase with the same rate as the amount of passengers, which makes this problem worse as time progresses.
The (RTA) has announced that Dubai roads will see 1616 new buses; a world record bus purchase. The buses will be of various sizes & models manufactured at the highest security & safety standards. The buses are equipped with the latest technologies such as voice announcement of the next stop, passengers counting system, bus-positioning system linked with the RTA Control Center, and internal & external display monitors. The new fleet is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2008.
Dubai also has an extensive taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
system, by far the most frequently used means of public transport within the Emirate. There are both government-operated and private cab companies. The Dubai Transport Corporation operates cream-coloured taxis. Some of the private cab companies are Cars Taxi, National Taxi, Cititaxi and Metro Taxi. The meter generally begins as Dhs .
United Arab Emirates dirham
The dirham is the currency of the United Arab Emirates. The ISO 4217 code for the United Arab Emirates dirham is AED. Unofficial abbreviations include DH or Dhs. The dirham is subdivided into 100 ....
3.00' and is generally charged by distance at 1.5 Dhs.
United Arab Emirates dirham
The dirham is the currency of the United Arab Emirates. The ISO 4217 code for the United Arab Emirates dirham is AED. Unofficial abbreviations include DH or Dhs. The dirham is subdivided into 100 ....
/km. There are approximately 7500 taxis located in the city.
Because of the growing population, commuters in Dubai experience a high amount of traffic congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
. The city has become the most congested city in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Professionals working in Dubai spend an average of 1 hour and 45 minutes commuting to and from work. The government has invested heavily in the Dubai's road infrastructure, although this has not kept pace with the increase in the number of vehicles. This, coupled with the induced traffic phenomenon, has led to growing problems of congestion. However, as of May 2009, with thousands of expatriate workers having lost their jobs and left back to their countries following the economic crisis, traffic congestion has eased significantly.
Traffic congestion, the single biggest concern among Dubai's 1.44 million residents, inflicts losses of Dh4.6 billion or 3.15% of the emirate's Dh146 billion GDP a year. The city has a car ownership rate of 541 cars per 1,000 population. This figure exceeds that of cities like New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
[444 cars per 1,000 population], London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
[345 cars per 1,000 population] and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
[111 cars per 1,000 population]. If this trend continues, then by 2020, there will be 5.3 million registered cars in Dubai.
According to some traffic experts, Dubai is suffering from an originally flawed road system, with in-built bottlenecks on certain key routes such as the Dubai-Sharjah road. Over time, however, the new infrastructure including the Dubai Metro
Dubai Metro
The Dubai Metro is a driverless, fully automated metro network in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai. The Red Line and Green Line are operational, with three further lines are planned. These first two lines run underground in the city centre and on elevated viaducts elsewhere...
, the new bridges and complex of flyovers is expected to ease congestion to some extent.
A further 500 km of roads plus 120 multi-level interchanges will also be built before 2020 at a cost of around 44 billion dirhams ($12 billion) as transport chiefs in the emirate aim to improve life for motorists.
Metro
Dubai Metro
The Dubai Metro is a driverless, fully automated metro network in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai. The Red Line and Green Line are operational, with three further lines are planned. These first two lines run underground in the city centre and on elevated viaducts elsewhere...
project under construction for the emirate. The Metro system is expected to be partially operational by 2009 and fully operational by 2012. The construction contract for the project was given to Dubai Rapid Link (DURL), a consortium led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Also involved are two other Japanese corporations, Obayashi and Kajima, and a Turkish company, Yapi Merkezi. The metro will comprise two lines: the Green Line from Rashidiya to the main city center and the Red Line from the airport to Jebel Ali. The Dubai Metro (Green and Blue Lines) will have 70 kilometers of track and 43 stations, 33 above ground and ten underground. Trains are expected to run every 90 seconds when the project is completed. Recently, the Blue Line connecting Dubai International Airport to the new Jebel Ali Port and Dubai World Central International Airport
Dubai World Central International Airport
Al Maktoum International Airport is a major airport in Jebel Ali, Dubai, United Arab Emirates that opened on 27 June 2010. Previous working names have included "Jebel Ali International Airport," "Jebel Ali Airport City" and "Dubai World Central International Airport". It will be officially known...
was announced. The route will run 47 km through Dubailand, but the exact number of stations is unknown. Dubai is building this train system to ease congestion on its road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
network and to meet the transportation demands of its growing population.
Seven monorails are also slated to be constructed to help feed the Dubai Metro, connecting various places such as Dubailand, the Palm Jumeirah and other districts the main track. The first of these, the Palm Jumeirah Monorail
Palm Jumeirah Monorail
The Palm Jumeirah Monorail is a monorail line on the Palm Jumeirah island in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The monorail connects the Palm Jumeirah to the mainland, with a planned further extension to the Red Line of the Dubai Metro. The line opened on April 30, 2009...
, is scheduled to open in April 2009, although the extension to the Dubai Metro is expected to open later.
there is a six road motorway from the airport
Trams
As of April 2008, there were two expected trams to be built in Dubai by 2011. The first is the Downtown Burj Dubai Tram System and the second is the Al Sufouh TramwayAl Sufouh Tramway
Al Sufouh Tramway is a tramway being built in Al Sufouh, Dubai. It will run along Al Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina to the Burj Al Arab and the Mall of the Emirates. It is expected to interchange with three stations of Dubai Metro's Red Line.The trains will comprise of First Class , and a carriage...
.
The Downtown Burj Dubai Tram System is a 4.6 km (2.9 mi) tram service that is planned to service the area around the Burj Khalifa. Announced in April 2008 by Emaar, the Dh
United Arab Emirates dirham
The dirham is the currency of the United Arab Emirates. The ISO 4217 code for the United Arab Emirates dirham is AED. Unofficial abbreviations include DH or Dhs. The dirham is subdivided into 100 ....
500 million system will have two separate lines. The first line, which is expected to open by the end of 2009, will run 1.1 kilometre (0.683510010314787 mi) from Dubai Metro's Burj Khalifa station to the Dubai Mall
Dubai Mall
The Dubai Mall is the world's largest shopping mall based on total area and sixth largest by gross leasable area. Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, it is part of the 20-billion-dollar Burj Khalifa complex, and includes 1,200 shops...
with one stop at the Dubai Mall Hotel
Dubai Mall Hotel
The Address Dubai Mall is a 37-floor hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tower has a total structural height of 192 m . Construction was completed in 2008 and the hotel was opened on 9 September 2009.-External links:...
. While this line will have trams running in both directions, the second line will only run in one direction. The second phase, expected to open in 2010, will service ten stations. The 4.6 km loop will travel clockwise and will have a total travel time of eight minutes.
In the same month, the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority announced the Al Sufouh Tram. This tram service would run 14.5 kilometres (9 mi) along Al Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina
Dubai Marina
Dubai Marina is a district in the heart of what has become known as "new Dubai" in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai Marina is a canal city, carved along a two mile stretch of Persian Gulf shoreline. When the entire development is complete, it will accommodate more than 120,000 people in...
to the Burj Al Arab and the Mall of the Emirates
Mall of the Emirates
The Mall of the Emirates is a shopping mall in the Al Barsha district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was developed by Majid Al Futtaim Properties under the leadership of its CEO, Peter Walichnowski, who was also the developer of "Bluewater" near London, Europe's most successful shopping mall....
. It is expected to connect with three stations of Dubai Metro's Red Line. Phase 1, expected to open in April 2011, will have 11 trains with 13 stations running 10 km (6.2 mi). Once Phase 2 is complete, the tram will add 14 more trains and six stations on the additional 4 km (2.5 mi). The planning and construction of the Al Sufouh Tram will be undertaken by a consortium of Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
, Besix
Besix
BESIX is the largest Belgian construction group. It belongs to the BESIX Group and was founded in 1909. In 2005, the Group realized a turnover of approximately €1000 million. Until his retirement in 2002 Paul de Meester was president of the company....
and Parsons
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Parsons Brinckerhoff is a professional services firm with 14,000 employees in 150 offices providing construction and operation management, planning, design, engineering, program management, strategic consulting, environmental and sustainability services for clients and communities in the Americas,...
.
The trams for the network will be 44 m (144.4 ft) long, have a capacity of 300 passengers and will travel at a maximum speed of 50 km/h (31.1 mph) and an average commercial speed of 20 km/h (12.4 mph). Running for 20 hours each day, it will only take around 30 minutes to ride the entire length of the system. The Al Sufouh Tram will use Alstrom's Citadis
Citadis
The Citadis is a low-floor tram built by Alstom in La Rochelle, France, and Barcelona, Spain. 1,140 Citadis are currently in use in 28 cities, among others: Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lyon, Montpellier, Orléans, the Paris area, and Barcelona, Dublin, Gdańsk, Katowice, Adelaide, Melbourne, Jerusalem and...
402. To provide safety, comfort and aesthetics, the Al Sufouh Tram will incorporate methods not found in many trams around the world. These trams will use ground-level power supply
Ground-level power supply
Ground-level power supply, also known as surface current collection and Alimentation par Sol is a modern method of third-rail electrical pick-up for street trams. It was invented for the Bordeaux tramway, which was constructed from 2000 and opened in 2003. Until 2011, this is the only place it is...
; in other words, the trams will not need overhead cables. This recently-invented method, referred to also as "Aesthetic Power Supply" (APS), is currently only used in Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The Al Sufouh Tram will also be the world’s first tram network to use platform screen doors at the stations, as well as a new Supervised Vehicle Operation (SVO) mode that will ensure accurate station stop and safety during passenger transfer.
In June 2010, the consortium led by France’s Alstom and the local/Belgian Belhasa Six Construct stopped work on the estimated $1.1bn Al-Sufouh tram project in Dubai because of irregular payments from the project client, Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA). The original completion date of April 2011 has also been extended.
Ports and water travel
Jebel Ali
Jebel Ali is a port town, located 35 kilometres southwest of the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates . The village has a thriving expatriate community with over 300 residents. The area is also home to "5,500 companies from 120 countries"....
. Dubai Creek and Port Saeed are used by local traders in dhow
Dhow
Dhow is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Some historians believe the dhow was invented by Arabs but this is disputed by some others. Dhows typically weigh 300 to 500 tons, and have a...
s.
One of the more traditional methods of getting across Dubai Creek from Bur Dubai
Bur Dubai
Bur Dubai is a historic district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, located on the western side of the Dubai Creek. The name literally translates to Mainland Dubai, a reference to the traditional separation of the Bur Dubai area from Deira by the Dubai Creek...
to Deira
Deira, Dubai
Deira is an area in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates bordered by the Persian Gulf, Sharjah and Dubai Creek. Historically, it has been the center of Dubai, but has been losing its importance during the past few decades due to recent development along E 11 road and areas further down the...
is through abras
Abra (boat)
An abra is a traditional boat made of wood, used to transport people across Dubai Creek in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. A medium-sized single-engine craft with a capacity of about 20 passengers, it is driven by a single operator from a cockpit stepped in the center of the hull...
, small boats that ferry passengers across the Dubai Creek, between abra stations in Bastakiya and Bani Yas Road, for a nominal charge of 1 UAE-Dirhams. They can be rented, along with an operator, for 100 UAE-Dirhams, approximately 27 US-Dollars. Recently, the Marine Transport Agency, part of the Road and Transportation Agency, has begun implementing the Dubai Water Bus System. The Water Bus began its service on Dubai Creek's water from July 2007.
Air travel
Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport is an international airport serving Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates. It is a major aviation hub in the Middle East, and is the main airport of Dubai. It is situated in the Al Garhoud district, southeast of Dubai...
is a hub for Emirates and FlyDubai
Flydubai
Dubai Aviation Corporation , trading as flydubai , is a low-cost airline with its head office and flight operations in Terminal 2 of Dubai International Airport.-History:...
and has a large duty-free shopping centre. The airport has won numerous awards for its excellence in design and services . A third terminal was opened in October 2008. The new terminal is dedicated to Emirates Airlines and fully supports the new Airbus A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
. The completion of this terminal doubled the capacity of the airport.
Al Maktoum International Airport, currently under construction, will make a new free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
area within Dubai and will be the centerpiece of the Jebel Ali Airport City. The airport was announced in 2004 and construction began in January 2005. The first part is expected to be completed by 2008. Although initially intended as a predominantly cargo airport, plans are afoot for the new Jebel Ali airport to handle some 120 million passengers per annum within 20 years, which would likely surpass Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, as the world's busiest airport.
Dubai is investing heavily in developing the reach of its airline, Emirates. The hope is to develop Dubai's air transportation industry to the point that passengers from any city can fly direct to Dubai. When Emirates Airline receives the Boeing 777-200LR
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from , depending on model...
aircraft—part of its November 2005 order for forty-two 777s—it will be able to offer direct flights to nearly any major city in the world. The airline has also placed an order of 45 of Airbus' A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
'superjumbo' double decker aircraft, the largest of which has a capacity of 641 passengers. The A380 aircraft have already been charted to fly from late 2007 onwards.
In addition Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. Established in July 2003 and based at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad commenced operations in November 2003....
provides bus coaches between Dubai and Abu Dhabi International Airport
Abu Dhabi International Airport
Abu Dhabi International Airport is an airport in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The airport is one of the fastest growing airports in the world in terms of passengers , new airline operators, and infrastructural development...
for Etihad customers.
External links
- MEED - Middle East Business intelligence since 1957: "Middle East business news and analysis, tenders, contracts awarded, commentary, economic data, insight, projects and events" - magazine website