KUWAIT: Jazeera Airways, Kuwait's low-cost carrier, yesterday joined the celebrations of the official inauguration of Al-Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central (DWC), the Middle East's newest airport, with a ceremonial flight from Kuwait to DWC yesterday.
Dubai is a growth market for Jazeera Airways. Over the last seven years, the Kuwait-Dubai route has witnessed phenomenal growth - currently, more than 1.5 million passengers travel the route annually. In 2005, Kuwait's low cost carrier started its service to Dubai with seven flights a week. Today with the launch of two additional flights to Al-Maktoum International at DWC, Jazeera Airways will be operating an average of 27 flights a week. To the present day, Jazeera Airways has flown 1,780,575 passengers to Dubai.
Jazeera Airways Group Chairman Marwan Boodai said in a statement: "We're glad to be one of the first airlines and the first one in the region to extend our support to the newly-opened DWC which aims to become one of the leading airports in the world in the coming years in terms of both capacity and size. We look forward to continue strengthening our partnership with Al-Maktoum International Airport, Dubai International Airport, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and the Dubai Emirate as a whole."
"Al-Maktoum International at DWC adds another dimension to Dubai's travel market, it is well positioned not only for weekenders from Kuwait for its proximity to Jumeirah and the resorts in that area, but also for customers who want to avoid the city altogether. Additionally, Al-Maktoum International at DWC serves customers flying to Abu Dhabi," added Boodai.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and constitutional monarch of Dubai attended the inaugural ceremony of DWC and toured the airport yesterday.
In a press statement, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Airports, said, "Al-Maktoum International at Dubai World Central will play a vital role in the future development of Dubai as a centre for trade, commerce, transport and logistics and tourism. I am impressed by the efficiency and convenience of this new terminal."
He said, "The opening of this facility signals the historic beginning of a long-term plan to build the largest airport in the world to accommodate tremendous passenger growth and contribute to the continued economic and social development of Dubai," he said in a statement. Fawaz Al-Farah, President of Kuwait's Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA), officials from Kuwait, Jazeera's crewmembers and journalists were on board the first flight which landed at DWC, Dubai's second airport, yesterday.
Jazeera Airways' flights to Al-Maktoum International Airport will complement the airline's 25 weekly flights to Dubai International Airport. Jazeera Airways will operate two flights a week every Thursday and Saturday to the new Al-Maktoum International Airport.
According to Boodai, operating to two airports in the same city is not a complex matter. "Each one of these airports presents a different offering. Dubai international is in the heart of Dubai and will always continue to attract a growing number of travelers from Kuwait," Boodai said.
He stressed that in August, Jazeera's Dubai service saw a 55 percent increase in passengers compared to Aug 2012 - "a record increase taking in consideration that we mainly serve the "point-to-point" market and not the transit traffic". Jazeera's customers to Dubai are both business and leisure travelers, so having two airports with different strengths attracts even more travelers, he added. According to Boodai, DWC offers travelers something different. "We do believe that Jazeera Airways will attract more weekend travelers to Dubai by operating additional flights to Al-Maktoum International at DWC," he said.
Upon completion, DWC will become the world's largest airport with an ultimate capacity of 160 million passengers per year. The airport will have a total of five parallel runways. Designed to support aviation, tourism and logistics well into the future, DWC is located in Jebel Ali Port and Free Zone and in the heart of a mega project called Dubai World Central.
The new passenger terminal has a capacity for up to 7 million passengers a year and is fully equipped to facilitate the operations of airlines that land and take off from there. In addition to Jazeera Airways, Hungarian-based budget carrier Wizz Air and Gulf Air of Bahrain are going to operate from the new airport. Addressing the media on the occasion of the official inauguration, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said, "The location, convenience and compact nature of DWC are compelling attributes. Airline and customer interest in this airport continues to grow and we hope to announce additional services in the near future."
© Kuwait Times 2013
