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Dubai airport targets 26.5 mln passengers by 2025

Xinhua, March 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Following additional planned extensions, the Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport is expected to handle up to 26.5 million passengers annually by 2025, up from 463,236 in 2015.

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the President of Dubai's Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Airline signed a contract Wednesday with Al Jaber Legt Engineering and Contracting LLC (Alec).

The contract stipulates the expansion of the passenger terminal building at Al Maktoum International Airport, poised to become one of the world's biggest civil aviation hubs.

Under the agreement, the first phase of this project, the increase of the Passenger Terminal Building area from its existing 66,107 square meters to 145,926 square meters, will be completed by June 2017.

Sheikh Ahmed said in an e-mailed statement "Today's announcement is a historic milestone in Al Maktoum International Airport's journey, set to become the world's largest airport."

Al Maktoum International Airport is located in the southwest of Dubai and will ultimately have the capacity to handle over 220 million passengers annually, he added.

The departure building will have its public hall, commercial areas and offices as well as the check-in hall expanded in order to accommodate 64 check-in counters.

An additional 10 counters will be specifically dedicated to business class check-ins.

Expansions will also include 12 new boarding lounges as well as an extension of the emigration transfer and security area.

A new arrivals baggage screening area will be added while the current baggage reclaim area will have three new carrousels.

The baggage claim area and related services, as well as the arrival baggage handling system, will feature an immigration hall with a 55 control counters capacity, visa and passenger utilities.

"Al Maktoum International Airport is being prepared to become the airport of the future," said Sheikh Ahmed.

In 2015, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said his vision for Al Maktoum International Airport is as a hub where passengers can check in hasslefree as luggage is checked in advance at Dubai Metro stations.

While Al Maktoum International Airport is not yet connected to the Dubai Metro network, plans exist for future connections.

Al-Maktoum International Airport was inaugurated for cargo traffic in June 2010 while passenger traffic was added in October 2013.

Al-Maktoum International Airport is the second civil aviation hub following Dubai's International Airport, or DXB, located in the northeast of the sheikhdom with a capacity of handling 90 million passengers annually.

In 2015, DXB welcomed 78 million travelers, up by 10.7 percent year-on-year. Endit