Dubai International Airport has reopened its southern runway following its 45-day closure to refurbishment works.
During this phase, over 18,500 truckloads of materials such as asphalt, concrete, besides personnel were transported to and from the airport.
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At peak times, over 90 construction vehicles entered and exited the airport.
Given that the scheduling experts optimised the airport’s one runway, the southern runway closure led to only about 32% of flight reduction.
However, traffic at Dubai’s second airport DWC witnessed a 700% surge during this phase.
Emirates had cancelled several flights due to the southern runway closure. A few flights of Flydubai were also shifted to DWC airport.
With the completion of refurbishment works, Flydubai has now moved its flights that were temporarily shifted to DWC, back to Dubai International Airport.
A spokesperson for Flydubai was quoted by Gulf News as saying: “Flydubai’s aim was to provide passengers with as much choice and with minimum disruption during this period, and we have had positive feedback from our passengers about their travel experiences.”
Emirates will also recommence its regular operating schedule that consists of over 1,700 flights every week.
At the time of closure, Emirates either cancelled or re-scheduled several flights.
Earlier this year, Emirates reduced 25% of its flights it operates from the airport. It is now planning to boost operations to regions such as Europe and Africa.
The refurbishment of the runway was taken up as it was nearing the completion of its design life.
The runway required upgraded lighting and resurfacing to cater to the future traffic.
