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Air cargo traffic to soar 48% by 2015

Dubai Airports said the freight volumes at Dubai International and the new Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International will balloon 48 per cent over the next five years.

In its latest forecast for cargo traffic released recently, the Dubai Airports said cargo tonnage, which totalled 1.9 million in 2009, will exceed three million tonnes by the end of 2015.

In 2010 alone, freight volumes are expected to rise 12.2 per cent, the company said.

Improving economic conditions, Dubai's geocentric location along with anticipated capacity increases by Emirates Airline and other cargo and joint production (cargo and passenger) airlines will be key drivers behind the increase, the report said.

Dubai International currently has capacity for 2.5 million tonnes of freight per annum. The first phase of Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International , which opens for cargo airlines this summer, will feature a single A380 compatible runway, 64 remote stands, a cargo terminal building capable of handling 250,000 tonnes per annum expandable to 600,000 tonnes pa and a dedicated road link to the region's largest port in Jebel Ali.

Plans are in place to optimise DWC and DXB cargo capability to handle anticipated traffic growth to 2015 and beyond, said a top official.

Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Airports said, 'There is no doubt Dubai International remains our hub. However, this forecast, combined with our projections for 98 million passengers by 2020, clearly shows the need for a new airport.'

'Aviation accounts for about 25 per cent of Dubai's GDP and our strategy is to have capacity lead demand so we never constrain growth. Aviation is too important to Dubai's economy to fall prey to the short-term thinking that has led to costly capacity constraints and congestion at so many airports around the world,' he added.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports , said the DWC was clearly a long term project. "Phase 1 will provide much-needed freight capacity in the near to mid-term. The vision is to eventually develop Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International into a multi-modal logistics hub which capitalises on its ideal location next to Jebel Ali Port as well as its connectivity by air to major consumer markets worldwide," he said.
 Dubai is located four hours flying time from one-third of the world's population and 12 hours from 80 per cent of the population.

Dubai International was the fastest growing major airport for international passenger traffic in 2009 and is the fourth busiest airport worldwide for international freight traffic, the report added.

The Dubai Cargo City, which started freight operations in 1991 as the Cargo Village, decade and a half ago, has been growing a remarkable pace to emerge as one of busiest air cargo centre in the world, clocking an annual average growth of 14.3 per cent between 1977 and August 2010, exceeding 17.9 tonnes.

When it was opened in 1991, Cargo City was ranked 61 internationally, but in the past 15 years, the centre has made it to the world's top 10. Cargo throughput at the facility has always been almost to capacity since its opening, compelling a series of expansion projects over the years and the eventual long-term expansion master plan unveiled recently. 
 In less than four years of operation, in 1995, the centre had to carry out its first expansion project after cargo volume crossed 250,000 tonnes annual mark, four years earlier than the forecasts had projected.

The first expansion saw the Cargo City's capacity expand by 100,000 tonnes annual to reach 350,000 tonnes. By 1998, the facility was capable of handling 500,000 tonnes annually, and in 2005 the facility crossed the 1 million-ton capacity mark.

In 2006, another Dh1 billion expansion saw the facility boosting its handling capacity to cope with the rapid demand.

In 2009, the airport handled 1,927,520 tonnes of air cargo in 2009, an increase of 5.6 per cent over 2008, making it the 11^th-busiest airfreight hub in the world and the busiest in the Middle East.

The total freight handled between January and May in 2010 reached 917,280 tonnes compared to 722,549 tonnes during the same period in 2009, up 27 per cent.

© Khaleej Times 2010