Al Maktoum International Airport will open a cargo terminal on June 27th, with an initial capacity of 250,000 tons a year. The cargo terminal’s capacity will later increase to 600,000 tons a year. The emirate is spending $33 billion (Dh121.37bn) on Al the airport because its current hub will probably not be able to handle increasing demand. The new airport will eventually have five runways and four passenger terminals capable of accommodating 160 million arrivals a year. Al Maktoum International Airport is likely to become the new hub for Emirates Airlines.
Dubai International Airport received 40.90 million passengers in 2009 and is being expanded in order to increase its capacity to 75 million by 2012. The emirate expects arrivals to reach 140 million a year by 2025. Andrew Walsh, vice-president for cargo and logistics at Dubai’s World Trade Center, said the new passenger terminal will be substantially complete in June. Al Maktoum International Airport is about 40 kilometers away from Dubai International Airport, and adjacent to Jebel Ali port, making it easier to load freight arriving from sea.
