Dubai: Dubai Airports is paving the way for the opening of Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International for cargo operations on June 27 after the new airport in Jebel Ali passed a series of operational tests conducted during its first "live" flight, sources told Gulf News on Monday.
Emirates Flight EK9883, a Boeing 777 freighter operating the Hong Kong-Dubai route and piloted by Captain Ahmad Bin Huzaim and First Officer Nabil Yousuf Ahmad Mohammad Rai Al Boom, touched down on Sunday afternoon amid cheers from an enthusiastic gathering of stakeholders and dignitaries on hand to observe the historic occasion.
"This is an important milestone, not only for the airport's certification process, but as another step towards achieving Dubai's vision to become the pre-eminent centre for aviation worldwide," Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Airports, said in a statement.
"It's also a testament to the cooperation and dedication of all of the organisations and stakeholders involved, who have done an impressive job of building and preparing Phase 1 of the facility for launch in a very short time frame," Shaikh Ahmad said.
The first phase of the airport will feature one A380 capable runway, 64 remote stands, one cargo terminal with annual capacity for 250,000 tonnes of cargo and a passenger terminal building designed to accommodate five million passengers per year.
When completed, Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International will be the largest airport in the world with five runways, four terminal buildings and capacity for 160 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo.
The facility opens initially for cargo carriers, with passenger operations currently slated to start up at the end of March 2011.
By Staff Reporter
© Gulf News 2010
