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Dubai: Dubai said it supports a region-wide accord on making more airspace available for the Middle East's booming civil aviation sector.
Most countries have large no-fly zones for security reasons and some of these can be opened up for civilian aircraft through official agreements, a top Dubai aviation official said.
Dubai Airports, the company in charge of Dubai International Airport and the upcoming Al Maktoum International Airport, has hired British air traffic control services firm NATS to study air space capacity in the emirate.
Air space constraints are seen hampering future growth in aircraft movements in Middle East skies when large-scale airport projects in places like Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi are completed.
Some $37 billion worth of airport projects are under way in the Gulf region, and carriers such as Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Emirates are seeking hundreds of new aircraft in the coming years to serve their expanding route networks.
Paul Griffiths, chief executive officer of Dubai Airports, said the capacity of new infrastructure on the ground will remain under-utilised if a regional coordination on air space is not achieved. "It is a significant problem, and I do not think it is being addressed at this point of time," Griffiths said at the General Aviation Middle East conference in Dubai.
Speaking to reporters, he said within the UAE the issue can be better addressed at the federal level by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
The UAE has six airports in operation, one is under construction in Dubai while one is planned in Ajman. Dubai International Airport is expanding its capacity from 25 million passengers a year to 75 million.
The new airport in Jebel Ali is designed to have a capacity of handling up to 150 million passengers when fully ready. Abu Dhabi airport plans to eventually expand its capacity to 40 million passengers a year from seven million at present.
Griffiths said an "international accord needs to happen first" if the capacity on the ground is to be utilised effectively.
Boost to general aviation
The Executive Flight Centre at Al Maktoum International Airport will have a capacity of 100,000 aircraft movement per year.
The centre will support the region's general aviation sector, said Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group.
General aviation relates to activities outside the scheduled airline and military sectors. "General aviation has been flourishing in many forms, most notably in executive and VIP flight operations. The executive flight service at Dubai International Airport has been achieving double-digit growth for several years now," Shaikh Ahmad said.
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