When it comes to Dubai
travel, the opportunities genuinely do seem to be endless. Travel to
the United Arab Emirates has never been so good, so readily
available or so affordable. Dubai airport also serves as a transfer
point for flights to the popular Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius
and Rodrigues, so the flights are regular from most European
destinations.
The main airport is Dubai International Airport. As the name would
suggest, it handles international flights both to and from Dubai.
The airport itself has a famous duty free section; where designer
clothes and accessories, as well as the standard duty free fare of
cigarettes and alcohol, are available at prices so low most
Westerners cannot believe their eyes. There is over 5,400 metres of
retail space available at the airport itself.
Dubai is an advanced, fast paced city, and their airport and travel
is no different. The websites of the international airport offers a
vast array of services, such as checking flight times and even the
option to receive a text message (SMS) when flights arrive and if
they are delayed. There is also services offering faster check in,
executive flight services and a special service called Al Majis with
specialised check in, baggage and immigration services.
All major flight carriers, including British Airways and Air France,
offer direct flights to Dubai International Airport.
For American
visitors to Dubai, the travel is slightly more arduous, with most
flights requiring a connection at
an European city such as London,
Paris or Munich.
The airport itself is very large with several terminal buildings. In
2008, Dubai International handled 34% of all the flights entering
and leaving the Middle East, making it the biggest aviation hub in
the region. The airport is also host to the United Arab Emirates
national flag carrier, Emirates Airline, a carrier with a fantastic
reputation both home and abroad.
Also in 2008, the airport – which has the abbreviation code DXB –
handled some 37million passengers, placing it 21st on the list of
the busiest airports in the world. Dubai International handles
flights from all continenets, as well as travel within the Middle
East itself. It also handles a vast amount of cargo; over 1, 824
million tonnes were handled there in 2008.
A third terminal was introduced on October 14th 2008, at a cost of
some $4.5 billion. There are also plans for Terminal 2 to be
upgraded and refurbished. With the new terminal, the airport expects
to be handling around 60 million passengers travelling to and from
Dubai annually. There is also discussion, though no firm plan, to
add to the airport's two existing runways.
The airport is also expanding to accommodate the new Airbus A380,
one of the largest passenger jets ever made and a favourite of
Emirates airline. They spent over $120 million expanding the airport
to handle the size of the jet, and plan to build a third Concourse
exclusively for the jet by 2011. No matter how you look at it, the
airport – and Dubai travel itself – is going place. |
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