World's Largest Airport and it's impact in the Air Freight Industry.

The ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, reviewed the strategic plan of the Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects and approved designs for the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, which will be the largest in the world when fully developed. It will be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport, and all operations at Dubai International Airport will be transferred to it in the coming years. The airport will accommodate 400 aircraft gates and feature five parallel runways.

Termed as the Airport of the future, Al Maktoum International Airport, once fully operational will have an ultimate capacity exceeding 260 million passengers and 12 million tons of cargo per annum.

This is definitely exciting news in the freight forwarding industry especially the Air Freight division. Currently, Dubai International Airport is the busiest airport in the world for international cargo, handling over 2.5 million tons of cargo each year. This means an estimated 79% increase in cargo capacity at the new airport.

The increase will see Dubai become a global hub for Air Freight operations. This will in turn create new opportunities for growth and expansion within the industry. The most important benefits from air transport go to passengers and shippers and the spillover impacts on their businesses. The value to passengers, shippers and the economy can be seen from the spending of foreign tourists and the value of exports. Air transport generates benefits to consumers and the wider economy by providing speedy connections between cities. These virtual bridges in the air enable the economic flows of goods, investments, people and ideas that are the fundamental drivers of economic growth. The development of this new airport will be an integral part of Dubai’s economy and major contributor to the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33).

According to IATA, UAE’s facilitation of air cargo through its customs’ and borders’ regulations ranks 26th out of 124 countries in terms of the Air Trade Facilitation Index (ATFI) and 1st out of 135 countries in terms of the eFreight Friendliness Index (EFFI) globally. The Enabling Trade Index (ETI) ranks UAE 23rd out of 136 countries globally for the facilitation of the free flow of goods over borders and to its destination. The ranking will without a doubt go up when the airport is fully operational.

Concerns on the carbon footprint for this massive project were also addressed as His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, stated that Al Maktoum International will strongly contribute to mitigate environmental emissions, aligning with the UAE’s vision for a sustainably built environment. Its integrated approach is targeted to leverage local resources and climatic conditions achieving exemplary efficiency targets and sustainability goals. AMI aims to achieve a LEED Gold Certification.

It is an exciting time for the Freight Forwarding Industry. We look forward to increased efficiency in serving our clients.