PHOTOS: $7.8 billion fillip for the STUNNING Dubai airport

Dubai Airports has given the green signal for a $7.8 billion (28.8 billion Arab Emirates dirham) airport and airspace expansion programme, which will boost capacity at Dubai International from 60 million to 90 million passengers per year by 2018.

Photographs, courtesy: Dubai Airports

The plan, which was presented to the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, this week, is designed to boost the aviation infrastructure.

It will facilitate Dubai's economic expansion and generate 22 per cent of total employment and 32 per cent of the emirate's GDP by 2020.

The plan is a response to a 10-year traffic forecast for Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) that projects international passenger and cargo traffic will increase at an average annual growth rate of 7.2 per cent and 6.7 per cent, respectively.

"The combination of rallying tourism, Dubai's proximity to the emerging economies of India and China, and the emirates' established role as a trading hub, is together expected to drive traffic growth and further elevate Dubai's status as a global centre for aviation," Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Chairman of Dubai Airports and President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, said in a statement.

By 2020, 98.5 million passengers and over four million tonnes of air freight will pass through our airports.

The fleet and networks of Emirates and Fly Dubai will grow considerably to accommodate traffic and capture market share.

"Similarly, our infrastructure must expand to enable this growth and facilitate the trade, tourism and commerce that in turn will support the prosperity of Dubai," he said.

The strategy includes aggressive expansion plans for airspace, airfield, aircraft stands and terminal areas at Dubai International over the remainder of the decade.

In May, passenger numbers topped 3.97 million, up 325,000 or 8.8 per cent compared to 3.65 million passengers who passed through the airport during the same month in 2010.

The year to date traffic stands at 20.5 million, an increase of 8.6 per cent over the corresponding period in 2010.

Aircraft movements for the month totalled 26,969 up 4.6 per cent from 25,790 recorded during the same period last year.

"Passenger volumes are on course to top 51 million by year end which should put us hot on the trail of Hong Kong International as the world's third busiest airport for international passenger traffic," said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

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"By 2015 we expect to overtake London Heathrow for the number one spot when passenger numbers surpass 75 million," he said.