Simple Flying caught up with Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths about how DXB is meeting demand.
The Airbus A380 and Dubai International Airport (DXB) are two peas in a pod. The superjumbo has helped the airport grow into the global powerhouse that it is today. With passenger demand sky-high in this recovery period, airports across the continents have been struggling to meet requirements, but the A380’s presence at DXB has helped the airport keep passengers moving despite the industry challenges.
Dubai-based Emirates received its first A380 in August 2008, and the airline now holds 119 units of the type. Over 90 units are currently active, which is a sizeable number considering the dark days of the pandemic saw no A380s in the air.
It seemed like it was doom and gloom for the A380, with holders either grounding or retiring the type completely. It looked like there may not have been a place for the quadjet in the future of aviation.
However, the behemoth defied the odds, with several carriers swiftly returning the aircraft to their operations. After all, the A380’s sheer size makes it an excellent solution to meet demand, especially with airports dealing with limitations.
Still, not all airports have the infrastructure to host the A380. This is certainly not the case with DXB, with the site boasting a facility purposely built for the A380.
Concourse A, which can be found at Terminal 3, opened in January 2013 and features 20 contact gates and 13 remote stands. Altogether, the structure has a total built-up area of 580,000 m2.
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There were just approximately 18 million passengers that passed through DXB in 2020 due to COVID-19. The figure rose to 29 million in 2021 and surged to 66 million in 2022. Still, over 86 million are expected to pass through before the end of 2023.
DXB’s readiness has been crucial in catering to this spike in demand. Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths explained to Simple Flying:
“We were fully prepared because we knew it would be like a coiled spring and people would want to get back in the air. The A380 is good for DXB because we have a fairly constrained airport and a constrained number of runway movements. The aircraft has helped push our average passengers per movement well over the industry average. Something like 223 per runway slot, compared with about 179 at other major hubs,
“So, it’s been a huge boost in productivity in terms of passengers per slot, which is very good because it has enabled us to host the growth and expansion of the air travel industry in Dubai without having to build major new infrastructure. Because it’s much more about technology to improve capacity and efficient use of infrastructure rather than about building more infrastructure, for the time being at least.”
It’s not only Emirates that is seeing a surge in activity. The likes of British Airways have been ramping up capacity with their A380s, and others, such as Air Canada, are expanding their presence, with the flag carrier of Canada insaugurating flights to the UAE hub from Vancouver last week.
Griffiths highlighted that Dubai has a tradition of welcoming competition, with it operating with an open skies policy for several decades. He said that even though DXB is a small airport in geographic terms, it’s tremendously productive because it has been able to optimize every step of the operational journey.
The executive added:
“Additionally, we are 24/7. We never close. So, we are very efficient and effective and have been able to provide capacity for airline expansion. We have over 100 airlines serving DXB, and most of the growth has come from carriers such as flydubai, British Airways with its A380, and lots of the other airlines that are more than 100% of their pre-pandemic levels,
“That effectiveness has allowed us to release capacity to welcome them. We’ve still got capacity for growth at DXB, despite the huge growth we’ve already experienced. Our aim is to facilitate growth through existing infrastructure for at least another 20-30 million passengers by amplifying what we’ve already got by using technology.”
Thus, while DXB expands its ability to handle upcoming requirements, the A380 is a fantastic solution to meet demand. Simple Flying will be landing at DXB this weekend to report live from the Dubai Airshow next week. We will undoubtedly see plenty of A380s and will be keen to catch up with major players across the industry to see how they are meeting demand. Be sure to keep tuned in to catch the latest updates!
What are your thoughts about the Airbus A380’s operations at Dubai International Airport? Let us know what you think in the comment section.
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Sumit comes to Simple Flying with more than eight years of experience as a professional journalist. Having written for The Independent, Evening Standard, and others, his role here allows him to explore his enthusiasm for aviation and travel. Having built strong relationships with United Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Icelandair, and more, Sumit excels in both aviation history and market analysis. Based in London, UK.