Airports across the globe would be struggling due to capacity constraints in the coming years except those in Dubai, Mideast and China, said a top official of Dubai Airports.
"There are some storm clouds on the horizon. Today, 10 million passengers step on board aircraft every day and if the projections prove right, around 21 million people will be stepping on planes every day by 2034," said Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports.
"But will the existing system and expansion be able to cope with the growth? If we look
As billions of dollars are invested in
"Dubai has long understood how to well-plan airport infrastructure. We have invested $12 billion since 2008 to boost
Earlier, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group, inaugurated the 3-day exhibition.
Dubai Airports CEO predicted that most of the growth in the next 15 years will come from Asia-Pacific region with 1.8 billion journeys originating from this region. Globally, the number of journeys will increase from 4 billion in 2017 to 7.8 billion in the next 15 years.
He noted that there are many industries that are going to decline due to
"All these numbers show future travel looks very bright," said Paul Griffiths.
According to figures released by data service provider BNC Network on Monday, currently 95 airport construction projects are underway with an estimated value of $49 billion in May 2018. Among these, 68 projects worth $45 billion are airport terminal projects while 27 projects worth more than $3 billion involves hangar, runway
"The expansion of the airline fleet will put additional pressure on the region's aviation infrastructure in the future. Therefore the investment in airport capacity expansion
"The airport projects are broadly in line with the development of the region's aviation sector that is led by two UAE carriers - Emirates and Etihad Airways as well as other leading regional airlines such as Saudi Arabian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways, Air Arabia,
Due to increase in passenger traffic, Paul Griffiths pointed out that "what we hate about travel such as visa and passport checks and multiple disconnected processes can be removed by technology."
"We need to work better as an industry across the globe for the seamless travel experience. Technology method of identification is still in research stage," he said adding that reliable biometrics are key.
He also mentioned about hand vein recognition technology which will help for the quick 'no go' and 'go' decisions at the airports. He
According to the aviation think-tank Capa, up to $1.1 trillion is spent on airport construction globally - this is broken down by $255 billion being invested in new (Greenfield) airport projects around the world and $845 billion in projects such as new runways and terminal buildings, runway and terminal extensions.