The Southern runway at Dubai International Airport will be closed for 45 days from this week…

Dubai Airports have confirmed that operations teams at both Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum Airport (DWC) are ‘good to go’ ahead of the Southern runway closure at DXB this week.

Dubai International Airport will close its southern runway from April 16 to May 30 while it undergoes extensive upgrade work.

As only one runway – the northern runway – will be in use during this time, airlines will have to scale back their operations at DXB.

“Planning and preparations have been underway for almost two years in close coordination with Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, airlines, dnata, the regulator and a host of other service partners to make sure this massive project goes off without a hitch,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

Overall, there will be a 19 per cent reduction in flights across the Dubai Airports network, according to Gulf Business.

ALSO READ: Need to know: Dubai International Airport runway closure

During the southern runway closure at DXB, flights are expected to increase at DWC by 700 per cent, with an average of 145 passenger flights per day handled by the airport in Jebel Ali.

Several other transport measures have been put in place for the 45-day runway closure. A dedicated fleet of taxis will serve DWC, offering a discounted flag fare of Dhs5, while the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will also offer a regular bus service from key locations in Dubai to Al Maktoum airport.

A free bus service will run between the two airports every 30 minutes, departing from DXB Terminals 1,2 and 3.

“Once the runway closes at 3pm local time on April 16, the site will see more than 90 construction vehicles enter and exit every hour transporting more than 18,500 truckloads of concrete, asphalt, materials and personnel,” the statement said.

More than 1,900 employees will be involved in the project.

“We’re confident we are fully prepared and good to go for April 16,” said Griffiths.

“We are encouraging passengers to confirm their airport of departure before they set out to take their flights but otherwise they can expect smooth operations and great service.”

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