MARKETDubai has long been involved in trading – from the early trading post to the current development as a business hub. In the 1930s, dhows or the traditional Arabic sailing boats plied their merchandise on ocean routes to the Indian sub-continent, Africa and the Orient. However, with the advent of aviation, the entire trading operations underwent a major change. In fact Dubai is today one of the most spectacular economic and urban success stories. It is one of the leading business and leisure destinations in the world. The journey from being just a port on the Arabian Gulf to a business hub took a mere 40 years.

Dubai International Airport is the premier airport in the Middle East and one of the fastest growing in the world today. It offers state-of-the-art facilities and a very high standard of service. In 2005 it witnessed passenger throughput of 24.7 million passengers, registering a growth of 14% over 2004. It is expected that nearly 28 million passengers will use Dubai International Airport in 2006 while, according to forecast, by 2010 nearly 60 million passengers are expected.

Current capacity of 22 million passengers at Dubai International Airport has dictated the need for expansion. Hence, in 2001, a major expansion programme was announced. The programme,

since then, has been revised in keeping with the expansion plans of Emirates airline. A major component of the expansion is the construction of Terminal 3, Concourse 2 and Concourse 3, all dedicated for Emirates airline use.

Dubai International Airport was established in 1959 when the then Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, ordered the construction of the first airfield. Located only four kilometres away from the city centre on a wide, level expanse of gravel and hard sand, the site was

chosen not just for its proximity to town but also with future expansion in mind

The initial airfield consisted of a 1,800 m compacted runway, an apron area, a small but adequate terminal building and a fire station. Opened in 1960, the new airport was capable of handling aircraft up to the size of a DC-3.

From nine airlines serving some twenty destinations in 1969, Dubai International Airport has grown to accommodate 110 airlines connecting to over 160 destinations in 2005.

Anticipating the travel demands of the twenty first century, the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation commenced a US$540 million expansion program in 1997, designed to turn Dubai International Airport into an even more user-friendly and efficient airport and maintain the Emirate’s position as the aviation and

business hub of the region. Sheikh Rashid Terminal, which opened in April 2000, was the culmination of the first phase of the expansion programme.

ACHIEVEMENTSDubai Civil Aviation has a firm commitment to excellence and this has been amply rewarded by the plethora of major industry awards that have been won by Dubai Airport. Ranging from three

times being awarded the accolade of Best International Airport and Best Airport in the Middle East ( seven times awarded ) to major operational awards such as the BP Award for Ramp Safety and the BP Award for Operational Excellence, these awards demonstrate the overall effort that has been made by all parts of the Dubai Airport team.

Running a successful airport comprises much more than merely ensuring effective traffic movement so perhaps one of the most satisfying accolades received by Dubai Airport is the IATA Global Airport Monitor Award for Best Airport for Overall Passenger Satisfaction, yet again amply demonstrating Dubai Airport’s team effort to be the world’s number one.

HISTORYAviation in Dubai began when the first Imperial Airways flying boat, operating a weekly service between the United Kingdom and Karachi, landed

on the Dubai Creek in 1937. The airline needed a base in the Gulf and Dubai, being on the crossroads to the East and the West, provided the ideal stopover. The landing fee then charged was Rs10 while the rent for the premises, including the guard’s fee, was Rs5,280. What was offered is what is still offered – exceptional value for exceptionally good service. A year later, the frequency of the flights was increased to four a week and by 1944 there were eight flights a week and they have not looked back since.

The then ruler, HH Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, has been given the title of a visionary. His visions for the future

charted a course which saw the emergence of Dubai, a name with which to reckon, a city which has leapt from the past into the present and towards an extremely confident future in little more than just a generation.

Sheikh Rashid ordered the construction of Dubai’s first airfield in 1959 and by 1961 Dubai International Airport handled 772 scheduled flights and 10,000 passengers. By 2001, the airport was handling an average of 400 flights a day and thir teen million passengers a year - a growth of 13,000% in just 40 years. Aviation has brought the world to Dubai and vice versa.

PRODUCTDubai’s aviation history has seen exponential growth to say the least. With the establishment of the Department of Civil Aviation in 1971 and Emirates airline in 1985, the Emirate is today the aviation hub in the region and set to step into a future that will rank Dubai International Airport among the top twenty airports in the world.

Airports are not used just for passenger movements - cargo is an integral part of the mix

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for any airport in the world and Dubai Airport is no exception. Dubai Airport has a dedicated cargo facility – Dubai Cargo Village – that has world-class facilities and is second to none in the expertise that it offers to freight companies.

The Dubai Cargo Village recently witnessed the opening of the dedicated Emirates SkyCargo Facility. At present Dubai Cargo Village can handle up to 675,000 tonnes per annum. Recent growth forecasts however predicted that, additional major cargo handling facilities would be required in order to satisfy demands and consequently plans are underway to implement the first stage of the Cargo Mega Terminal which will eventually, by the year 2018, have the capacity to handle three million tonnes of freight.

Innovation is a byword at Dubai Airport and this applies to its cargo activities as well as its passenger activities. Spotting a gap in the market, Dubai Airport has developed Dubai Flower Centre which is aimed at being a clearing house for shipments of flowers between Europe and the Far East.

The project is sited on a very prominent location within the Dubai International Airport premises with its 300m long principal elevation facing directly onto the busy Sharjah Dubai highway and accordingly an innovative and striking architectural design has been conceived to reflect the modernity and progressive image of Dubai International Airport

The centre is to be developed in three phases and the level of automation for processing flower products will be enhanced over five to seven years from a semi-automated system with manual sorting to a fully automated facility. The centre when fully developed and automated will have a floor area of about 100,000 sq.m. providing for export chambers and offices apart from product break down and buildup stations and automated sorting areas. The handling capacity of the centre is anticipated to exceed 300,000 metric tones of

product throughput per annum. The entire facility (with the exception of offices) will be maintained at an ambient temperature of just 2-4 degrees Centigrade.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTSThe Department of Civil Aviation started the second phase of expansion in August 2002. The second phase will involve the construction of Terminal 3, Concourse 2 and 3 and a Cargo Mega Terminal.

Dubai has committed nearly US$20 billion dollars to the aviation industry. While Dubai International Airport is undergoing a US$ 4.1 billion second phase of expansion programme, the first phase costing US$540 million, Emirates airline has placed a US $15

billion order for new, bigger and longer range aircraft. The ever-changing face of technology in the aviation industry is one of the biggest challenges faced by Dubai Airport and they plan to keep pace with the rapid advances made in the industry. To be precise, their development plans are currently targeted up to the year 2045. A long way to go, some might say but they do believe in planning for the future – a legacy left behind by the visionary, HH Sheikh Rashid.

In keeping with the rapid growth witnessed in terms of passenger, cargo and aircraft

movement, Dubai Airport expects over 60 million passengers by 2010 and over 100 aircraft for Emirates airline. According to experts in the aviation industry, the Middle East in the coming years will see a 5% growth annually in terms of tourism world over. Dubai hopes to attract the lion’s share of this market. In 2002 Dubai had 4.7 million tourists which was a 31% growth over the previous year and this figure is expected to go up to 15 million by 2010.

Dubai International Airport, which currently has Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, with a collective capacity to handle 22 million passengers a year, will have another terminal. Terminal 3 with concourses 2 and 3 and a cargo mega terminal with the capacity to handle 5 million tonnes of freight are on the anvil. The new terminal will have the capability of handling the jumbo A 380 aircraft – in fact the terminal is specifically being designed to do so. When completed, Dubai International Airport will have the capacity to handle 60 million passengers a year.

The Department of Civil Aviation is committed to ensuring that the next phase of the expansion programme is built to the most advanced specifications possible. With the help of the Government of Dubai, they aim to build the most advanced aviation hub, not just in the region but in the world.

From the flying boats to DC 10s to jumbo jets, while the world now awaits the next generation of the magnificent flying machines – the super jumbos –Dubai is ready to face the future.

PROMOTIONA key feature of DCA’s marketing effort is the focus on the Emirate of Dubai as a whole for major campaigns, rather than just the airport itself. Nearly a billion people around the world are thought to have seen the series of ‘Cultural Voyage’ vignettes broadcast by CNN in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Following the success of this campaign a more business-focused series of

TV advertisements called ‘Why Dubai’ were developed for broadcasting on CNBC. The promotion was designed to promote Dubai as a base for multinationals to set up their regional headquarters.

Apart from generating press releases for the local and international media the DCA Marketing and Corporate Communications team is also responsible for two publications- the quarterly print and online DXB News, DCA’s news update magazine for all its customers and the glossy bi-monthly passenger magazine, Dubai International, which is the airport and Dubai Duty Free guide. DCA Marketing works closely with Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing attending road shows, exhibitions and other events around the world. The Marketing team also collaborates with Emirates and Dubai Duty Free in hosting the Dubai Air show Gala Dinner which is one of the biggest events on Dubai’s social calendar.

BRAND VALUESLeadership in all areas of Operation

Service excellenceFuturistic outlookCustomer Driven..

www.dubaiairport.com

The Airport has won over 45 awards since 1996 for marketing, service excellence and passenger satisfaction.

DIA is fully equipped to handle passengers with special needs

110 airlines serve 160 destinations from Dubai International Airport.

DIA operates an open skies policy and is open 24 hours a day for operations.

Dubai International Hotel is located on the upper three levels of the concourse. Passengers in transit or those who have checked-in early can take advantage of the hotel’s facilities.

There are two DCA VIP lounges which are exclusively for first and business class passengers who transit or depart the scheduled flights that dock at the concourse.

Things you didn’t know aboutDubai International Airport

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