Dubai Airport has exceeded all previous records in July 2016

Passenger traffic at Dubai International has exceeded all previous records in July surging to an historic high of 7.6 million, according to the monthly traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports.

Passenger numbers in July totalled 7,616,792 compared to the 6,682,676 handled in July 2015, a significant increase of 14 per cent. During the first seven months of the year, DXB welcomed 48,123,248 passengers, up 7 per cent compared to 44,981,967 passengers recorded during the same period last year.

Eastern Europe was the fastest growing region in July up 33.4 per cent, followed by Asia which grew by 20.8 per cent, and the Indian subcontinent at 17.1 per cent. GCC traffic rose 16.2 per cent while North America registered a 13.9 per cent increase.

Traditionally a strong market, India was the top destination country with 990,213 passengers, followed by the UK (573,025 passengers), and Saudi Arabia (475,841). London, Doha, Mumbai, Kuwait and Bangkok headed the list of the most popular destinations served from DXB.

Aircraft movements during July reached 35,832, up 5.8 per cent compared to 33,855 recorded during July 2015. Year to date flight movements totalled 243,035 compared to 231,081 aircraft movements recorded during the same period last year, an increase of 5.1 per cent. The passengers per movement remained at world-beating levels at 220 during July as DXB’s rising ratio of wide-bodied aircraft continues to drive airport efficiency 

Freight volumes at Dubai International contracted 1.2 percent in July to total 203,153 tonnes compared to 205,526 tonnes recorded during the corresponding month last year. During the first seven months of 2016, DXB handled 1,485,177 tonnes of cargo, up 3.2 per cent compared to 1,438,904 tonnes recorded during the same period in 2015.

“This summer was the busiest in DXB’s history with daily traffic averaging a quarter of a million passengers across the three terminals. We are pleased as much with the growth as we are with the way we managed service levels by implementing detailed operational plans, boosting staff levels, intensifying communication efforts with our business partners and customers during the peak period,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

Analyst Saj Ahmad said: “Dubai international's continued progress will ensure it will break records again this year and retain the top slot for international traffic.

“On the back of the end of Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr and the start of the peak summer season, the airport has benefitted from a surge in passenger growth of 14% over the same period a year ago.”

Ahmad added: “With 48m‎ passengers handled to date, the vibrancy and robustness of the low cost market led by flydubai and the organic expansion of Emirates who have deployed their A380s on more European routes, it is evident the desire for travel to and through Dubai places pressure on developing Al-Maktoum International much quicker to help absorb demand.”

Arabian Aerospace

Photo News: Emirates Boeing 773 A6-EMW accident at DXB

VIDEO: ATC communications during the Accident of Emirates EK521

Emirates B773 at Dubai flight EK521, touched down during go-around without gear, aircraft on fire

Aug 3 2016

An Emirates Airlines Boeing 777-300, registration A6-EMW performing flight EK-521 from Thiruvananthapuram (India) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with 282 passengers and 18 crew, was on final approach to Dubai's runway 12L at 12:41L (08:41Z) but attempted to go around from low height. The aircraft however did not climb, but after retracting the gear touched down on the runway and burst into flames. All occupants evacuated via slides, 13 passengers received minor injuries, 10 were taken to hospitals, 3 treated at the airport. The aircraft burned down completely. A firefighter attending to the aircraft lost his life.

The airline reported: "Emirates can confirm that an incident happened at Dubai International Airport on 3rd August 2016 at about 12.45pm local time."

United Arab Emirates Government confirmed an Emirates aircraft arriving from India suffered a crash landing at Dubai Airport, all passengers have been evacuated, there are no reports of injuries.

United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) reported a firefighter attending to the fire, while saving lives, lost his own life. The director of the GCAA said: "I salute his ultimate sacrifice that kept many from harm’s way. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Emirates Airlines' chairman reported 13 passengers received minor injuries during the incident and were treated by medical teams.

According to ATC recordings the aircraft performed a normal approach and landing, there was no priority or emergency declared. Upon contacting tower tower reminded the crew of lowering the gear and cleared the aircraft to land. Another approach reported on tower frequency. About 2 minutes after EK-521 reported on tower, the crew reported going around, tower instructed the aircraft to climb to 4000 feet, the crew acknowledged climbing to 4000 feet, a few seconds later tower instructs the next arrival to go around and alerts emergency services. The position of the aircraft is described near the end of the runway.

Related NOTAM:
A1156/16 - AD CLSD. 03 AUG 11:20 2016 UNTIL 03 AUG 14:00 2016. CREATED: 03 AUG 11:18 2016

A1155/16 - AD CLSD. 03 AUG 10:00 2016 UNTIL 03 AUG 12:00 2016. CREATED: 03 AUG 10:07 2016

Metars:
OMDB 030900Z 11021KT 3000 BLDU NSC 49/07 Q0993 WS ALL RWY TEMPO 35015KT 1500
OMDB 030800Z 14012KT 100V180 6000 NSC 48/09 Q0994 WS ALL RWY TEMPO 35015KT 4000 DU 

- Scenes inside the cabin during evacuation (Video: Keith Walker):

The Aviation Herald

Dubai Airports prepares to open Councourse D | Breaking Travel News

The countdown to the opening of Dubai International’s AED1.9 billion Concourse D has begun as operator Dubai Airports has invited members of the public to volunteer as ‘passengers’ and help test the operational readiness of the new facility on February 6.

The advanced trial follows a series of rigorous trials that were conducted over the past few months to test different components of the facility to ensure a smooth start up and optimal service levels for passengers and more than 70 airlines that will use the facility.

The trial is designed to test the systems and processes across the facility, as well as staff preparedness by simulating typical airport operating scenarios. As part of trial some 2,500 volunteers – men, women, children and senior citizens will play the role of passengers travelling to different destinations, arriving, departing, and transiting through the facility in order to test access, traffic flow, way-finding signage, and other scenarios specific to the airport’s many strategic partners, such as police, immigration and customs, as well as food and beverage and retail concessionaires. The operational trials are designed to simulate a ‘live’ environment and help Dubai Airports test facilities, processes and staff capability ultimately paving the way to a successful opening and smooth entry into operations. 

“As the final element of the $7.8 billion Strategic Plan 2020 that we had announced in 2011, Concourse D is a crucial and timely addition to Dubai International as it will increase the airport’s capacity to 90 million passengers,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

“Our approach with launching new facilities has always been to test, test and test again until we are confident our passengers and airlines will receive the highest service levels upon opening. Residents of Dubai and the UAE have an opportunity to help us achieve this goal while being part of Dubai’s aviation history. If our past experiences with operational trials are anything to go by, we expect an overwhelming response from the members of the public,” Griffiths added.

The emphasis in Concourse D is to create a more efficient and intuitive customer experience with short walks to connect passengers with their aircraft. The facility will feature open gates allowing travelers to board directly from the waiting area, giving them more freedom and time to enjoy the full complement of exciting food and beverage outlets - including a casual dining concept offering dishes from celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, the first Pret a Manger in a Middle East airport as well as the region’s first Camden Food Company outlet, and CNN News Cafe among others.

The new concourse will also offer plenty of comfortable seating spaces as well as the ever-popular SnoozeCubes which provide a convenient way to rest between flights. Concourse D will feature a total of nine lounges spread over 6,926m2, including five airline lounges, a new Al Majlis lounge, two Dubai International Hotel lounges and a Marhaba VIP lounge. The retail area will be spread over 8400m2.

The concourse will feature 21 contact stands, of which four will be able to accommodate Airbus A380 or Boeing 747 aircraft, and 11 remote stands.

Dubai Airports prepares to open Councourse D | News | Breaking Travel News

Passenger traffic continues to rise at Dubai International | Breaking Travel News

Passenger traffic at Dubai International, rose 4.4 per cent in October, according to a traffic report issued today by operator Dubai Airports.

Passenger numbers in October totalled 6,250,810, compared to 5,989,007 recorded in October of last year.

Year to date traffic rose 11.2 per cent to 64,947,687 compared to 58,411,554 recorded during the same period last year.

Aircraft movements rose to 34,917 during October, up 6.5 per cent from the 32,798 recorded during the same month last year.

Year to date aircraft movements were up 16 per cent to 337,316 compared to 290,779 recorded during the corresponding period in 2014 due primarily to the impact of the 80-day runway upgrade programme conducted last year.

Passengers per aircraft movement in October came in at 188, while the year to date figure remained a high 202 – driven by the Emirates’ fleet of wide-body aircraft.

Air freight traffic was up 7.6 per cent for the month with volumes of 215,714 tonnes compared to 200,435 tonnes recorded during the same month last year.

Year-to-date cargo traffic totalled 2,068,844 tonnes, up 3.1 per cent from the 2,006,884 tonnes shipped during the first ten months of last year.

“Traffic continues its steady climb as we approach the end of what will be another record year for both cargo and passenger numbers,” said Paul Griffiths, chief executive, Dubai Airports.

Passenger traffic continues to rise at Dubai International | News | Breaking Travel News