AR
UR
Dubai's travel and aviation sector is rapidly overcoming the impact of COVID-19 with direct air traffic between the Emirate and the rest of the world rising above the pre-pandemic numbers.
Speaking to the media, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, noted that the current figures for point-to-point traffic between Dubai and other countries are at 101 percent of the pre-Covid level.
The industry is now waiting for the transfer markets to open fully, including China, the Far East and Australia. Some of these markets are taking time to recover due to which there is a slight delay in the transfer markets (52 percent back to where they were before), the chief of city's airports added.
According to the official, the emirate’s overall aviation demand is back to 66 percent of where it was in 2019. He is further expecting the emirate's aviation sector to fully recover by 2023.
“Once the transfer markets recover fully, we will be back to exceed our pre-Covid numbers quickly. We think that by 2023, we will see close to a full recover. We’re anticipating 57 million this year in our initial forecast. But I wouldn’t be surprised if that forecast is greatly exceeded considering the growth numbers that we’re seeing so far," Griffiths said.
The development has come in line with the Emirate's success in handling the COVID-19 situation while making the UAE one of the world's safest and most attractive destinations amid the pandemic.
The UAE government launched effective health and vaccination programme along with implementing proactive measures to overcome the impact of the pandemic. Such efforts helped in enhancing the UAE's international reputation.
"People are interested in flying in to either live and work in Dubai or visit the city and that has greatly increased over the last two years. (That’s why) I’m confident that the growth that we’re seeing now will be sustainable," he added.
Over 5m PCR tests conducted
The UAE implemented a successful COVID-19 response in consistency with precautionary measures and travel regulations.
"The UAE government took sensible measures, announced those measures, applied them strictly and then stuck to them. You always knew that if you left Dubai, you could get back in," he said.
At the airport, Dubai authorities built the world’s largest on-site COVID-19 testing facility which conducted more than five million PCR tests.
Rising demand
As travel bounced back, authorities ensured measures to keep up with the fastgrowing demand. After overcoming the pandemic, people are expressing their willingness to travel. This is resulting in a massive surge in bookings over the last few months.
“We took travel for granted. People no longer have the same ‘taken for granted’ attitude they had before. We’ve been through some hard times, but the government here has been incredibly supportive," Griffiths said.
Dubai International Airport’s (DXB) northern runway is scheduled on May 9. Meanwhile, the authorities are reminding travellers to take note of flight diversions.
During the period, the authorities relocated 1,000 flights a week to DWC (Dubai World Central) to enable the runway closure to take place. The authorities further ensured that passenger services remained unaffected.
“We chose the timing carefully (and scheduled it) during a period where the traffic numbers are slightly lower than other times of the year,” the official said.
Furthermore, a ‘very intensive programme’ has been planned for the maintenance of the runway while focusing on safety more than increasing passenger capacity.
"In aviation, safety is our primary objective. We have to make sure that every part of our entire supply chain of assets is in proper and peak safe condition," he added.
According to Griffiths, this is going to be the third refurbishment of the Dubai Airports. A new opportunity is being taken to replace the instrument landing system, consisting of a three-degree glide slope mechanism that appears in the cockpit of an approaching aircraft.
"It’s an essential piece of equipment and requires precise installation and calibration. This will be done during the period between May 9 and June 22," he said.
The new refurbishment will give the runway a lifespan of about 10 years, the official added. Dubai Airports is ensuring that the upgrade are performed within the shortest time possible in compliance with intelligent safety control measures.