Travel demand is finally back with Dubai welcoming more than seven million travelers last year, and Dubai International Airport remains one of the busiest airports in the world
Yet just as things are on the up, DXB is getting ready to close one of its two runways.
On May 9, the northern runway will close for a 45-day refurbishment project. During this time, several flights that typically fly into the airport will instead operate to or from Dubai World Central.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports explained, “The planning of this important infrastructure project was carefully done to minimize disruption to our passengers and ensure our partners across the Dubai aviation community are working seamlessly to maintain the highest safety and guest experience standards at both Dubai International and Dubai World Central airports. During this timeframe, DWC will be fully operational with all essential services and amenities our passengers expect. To help avoid unnecessary confusion and mitigate the impact on guest experience, before setting out for the airport I would advise those traveling during this period to double-check with their airline from which airport and terminal their planned flight will depart.”
Uganda Airlines Reduces its Frequencies
During this time, Uganda Airlines will operate a reduced frequency of three weekly flights at DXB Terminal 1 from May 10 – to 21 June.
The airline will however return to normal scheduling (4X-weekly flights) from June 22 when the refurbishment is completed.
Why the Closure
Several flights that typically operate to and from Dubai International Airport will instead operate from Dubai World Central between May 9 and June 22. This is while the northern runway at DXB is closed for renovation.
As a dual-runway airport, operations will continue during this time, but the reduced capacity means several flights will switch operations to Dubai’s other airport, Al Maktoum Airport at Dubai World Central.
The closure is necessary for airport maintenance, which was last carried out in 2014. The southern runway was also refurbished in 2019.
The northern runway rehabilitation project will involve the placement of approximately 160,000 tonnes of asphalt and 30,000m3 of concrete to strengthen and resurface the runway and the adjacent taxiways. Some 264 km of secondary cables will be replaced and over 4,400 runway lights have been upgraded to modern, economic, and environmentally friendly technology as part of the project.
