Dubai: Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central (DWC) celebrated its fifth anniversary this weekend, having opened to cargo operations on June 27, 2010.
Dubai Airports, the operator, said in an emailed statement on Sunday the airport has “firmly established itself among the top 20 busiest international cargo hubs and a growing reputation as an efficient and convenient passenger airport.”
Last year, the airport, located in the emirate’s south near the Abu Dhabi border, handled 824,932 tonnes, almost 10 times what it handled in its first full year of cargo operations in 2011.
Part of the reason for the surge in handled cargo was the decision last year to relocate all dedicated cargo operations from Dubai International to Al Maktoum International. The airport, which opened to scheduled passenger traffic in late 2013, has an annual cargo capacity of 1 million tonnes. This will be expanded to 16 million tonnes over the next two decades.
In 2014, the first full year of passenger operations, 800,000 passengers used the airport. Earlier this year it was announced the airport will expand its capacity from 5 to 7 million passengers a year to 26 million by 2017. The airport is expected to be able to handle 120 million by 2025.
