ATM 2024: Al Maktoum International will fly Dubai to the future of aviation, Paul Griffith says

ATM 2024: Al Maktoum International will fly Dubai to the future of aviation, Paul Griffith says

Gates for 400 aircraft, five runways and a capacity to handle 260 million passengers annually. That's what Dubai's new Al Maktoum International will be. Image Credit: WAM

The aviation landscape is changing fast, and Al Maktoum International will help Dubai keep pace with the demands wrought by technological advancements. The airport has been designed with an eye on the future: a future where narrow-bodied aircraft will play a pivotal role in air travel. Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, underscored that at the Arabian Travel Market on Tuesday.

Parking for up to 400 aircraft, 5 runways and the capacity to handle 260 million passengers annually: that’s Al Maktoum International. The facilities at the new airport are enhanced to cope with the changing industry, Griffiths said during a talk on “Navigating the future of air travel, moderated by Mark Frary, co-founder of Travel Perspective.

Like any other technology, aviation technology has been changing rapidly. Any futureproof solution should factor in the pace at which technology is developing. That’s the nub of Griffith’s argument.

To illustrate the point, he said, “If you extrapolate the growth from 17 years ago with 30 million [passengers annually], we’re now 90 million. And if you go forward