If you are reading this after another torrid 2h struggling through airshow traffic, then put Dubai 2009 in your diary. The Dubai show four years down the line will be transport-friendly thanks to its new purpose-built quarters at Jebel Ali airport, construction of which is now under way.
Hassle-free travel to and from the show is actually just a spin-off of one of the most ambitious aviation projects in the world.
Although the $3 billion expansion of Dubai International airport is taking capacity to 75 million passengers a year, current growth rates set the government thinking ahead.
Visionary
In its visionary way, it came up with a masterplan for Jebel Ali airport. Located in 137km2 of desert, it will eventually have six runways and be capable of handling 180 million passengers a year.
Speaking here in Paris, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, said: "Within 18 months, the present airport will have a capacity of 75 million, but in 2006 we expect to be handling 30 million and 35 million in 2007. Our growth is such that we can already see a time when we reach the new capacity."
To call Jebel Ali an airport is to call a Rolls-Royce a car. It will in fact become a vast city, with residential and industrial zones and centres of aviation excellence. "It will be a place where you work and live," says Sheikh Ahmed.
In a phased approach, it will begin as a dedicated freight airport. A complex called Dubai Logistics City is being built. After that, a basic terminal will be built as there is a belief that low-cost airlines - which now have a foothold in the region - would find it attractive as a base.
"We see some already and some other countries have said they will liberalise their markets," says Sheikh Ahmed.
He adds: "In two years, we will see a runway and the logistics city and then the airshow will move there in 2009. We aim to build a dedicated facility for the airshow and this will allow us to expand and offer our exhibitors everything that they want.
"There will be no problem with traffic, no spending 4h in traffic as you do at other shows. In that time you could have five or six meetings."
Looking ahead to Dubai 2005, which runs from 20-24 November, Sheikh Ahmed confirms that the Airbus A380, which has made this Paris show unforgettable, will be flying - in Emirates' livery.
Even though the show site will be moving in four years, the present show site is being significantly expanded. As the fastest-growing air show in the world, it is reaching its limit.
Hassle-free travel to and from the show is actually just a spin-off of one of the most ambitious aviation projects in the world.
Although the $3 billion expansion of Dubai International airport is taking capacity to 75 million passengers a year, current growth rates set the government thinking ahead.
Visionary
In its visionary way, it came up with a masterplan for Jebel Ali airport. Located in 137km2 of desert, it will eventually have six runways and be capable of handling 180 million passengers a year.
Speaking here in Paris, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, said: "Within 18 months, the present airport will have a capacity of 75 million, but in 2006 we expect to be handling 30 million and 35 million in 2007. Our growth is such that we can already see a time when we reach the new capacity."To call Jebel Ali an airport is to call a Rolls-Royce a car. It will in fact become a vast city, with residential and industrial zones and centres of aviation excellence. "It will be a place where you work and live," says Sheikh Ahmed.
In a phased approach, it will begin as a dedicated freight airport. A complex called Dubai Logistics City is being built. After that, a basic terminal will be built as there is a belief that low-cost airlines - which now have a foothold in the region - would find it attractive as a base.
"We see some already and some other countries have said they will liberalise their markets," says Sheikh Ahmed.
He adds: "In two years, we will see a runway and the logistics city and then the airshow will move there in 2009. We aim to build a dedicated facility for the airshow and this will allow us to expand and offer our exhibitors everything that they want.
"There will be no problem with traffic, no spending 4h in traffic as you do at other shows. In that time you could have five or six meetings."
Looking ahead to Dubai 2005, which runs from 20-24 November, Sheikh Ahmed confirms that the Airbus A380, which has made this Paris show unforgettable, will be flying - in Emirates' livery.
Even though the show site will be moving in four years, the present show site is being significantly expanded. As the fastest-growing air show in the world, it is reaching its limit.
Source: Flight Daily News
