Dubai: Passengers using Dubai International Airport (DXB) in the coming days have been advised to reach the airport early as it braces for the year’s peak travel season, starting this weekend, officials said on Tuesday.
Already the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic, DXB has put preparations in place to welcome over 1.1 million travellers, with the peak season starting this weekend and running strong till next weekend.
Eugene Barry, executive vice-president, Commercial, Dubai Airports, said: “We are about to face the busiest days of the year here at Dubai International. It is predicted that June 28 is going to be the first of our busy days during the summer holiday. The weekend of July 5-8 is anticipated to be a busier time as the majority of local schools are breaking up for the summer. We expect during those few days to welcome over 1.1 million travellers.”
In order to handle so many passengers in such a concentrated period, departments across the airport began preparations many weeks ago, learning from previous years.
Eisa Al Shamsi, vice-president, Terminal Operations, Dubai Airports, said: “Preparations within the airport for the upcoming peak have been ongoing for the past couple of weeks. The entire operations team has been working closely with all our service partners to ensure a seamless journey for customers, from the moment they arrive at DXB to the moment they leave. For those travelling in the next few days, we would advise passengers to get to the airport early and encourage them to use the latest technologies we recently added, like the Smart Gates, to expedite their journey.”
Speaking about behind-the-scenes preparations, John Dyett, director, Baggage Service Delivery, Dubai Airports, said: “Here at Dubai International we have three distinct baggage systems in the terminals, their combined length is around 175km of baggage system. This has the capacity to handle around 25,000 bags in a single hour.”
Barry said: “The message to anyone travelling over the busy time is simple: plan your journey, arrive at the airport early and make the maximum use of your time here before you depart from DXB this year. And as a final top tip, grab a copy of our exclusive airport magazine, Time Out DXB, and use the special vouchers at restaurants at the airport.”
