- Runway is scheduled to open for aviation traffic on 22 June, 2022
- With an extremely tight schedule of just 45 days to complete, the North Runway Rehabilitation project is currently underway according to plan
- Over 400 engineers and field experts, and 3,800 labourers work to complete the major rehabilitation project

 His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline & Group, today visited the North Runway at Dubai International Airport to review the progress of the rehabilitation works at the runway, which is scheduled to open for aviation traffic on 22 June, 2022.

During the site visit, His Highness was briefed on the progress of the North Runway Rehabilitation project and the efforts being made by various multinational teams - spearheaded by UAE national expertise from the Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP), a leading engineering organisation responsible for the master planning, design, infrastructure development and construction of Dubai’s dynamic aviation sector - to ensure the project is completed within the set timeframe. With an extremely tight schedule of just 45 days to complete, the North Runway Rehabilitation project is currently underway according to plan.

His Highness praised the exceptional efforts of the teams, and said: “The North Runway Rehabilitation project is a remarkable step in our efforts to facilitate and cater for the continuous growth of passengers and support the evolution of the air transport industry in the emirate. Dubai constantly seeks to ensure the resilience of its airport infrastructure and enhance the services provided to all passengers through deploying the latest state-of-the-art technologies.”

His Highness added: “The general forecast for 2022 remains positive with projections for annual traffic flow now estimated to reach 58.3 million passengers, exceeding initial forecasts by a significant margin.”

The latest rehabilitation project included a workforce of over 400 engineers and field experts, as well as a labour force of around 3,800 people. On the infrastructure side, due to their vast technical expertise in the construction of airports and their long-standing relationship with Dubai International Airport, Al Naboodah Contracting Company was appointed to conduct all the infrastructural works.

The North Runway at Dubai International Airport underwent a major rehabilitation in 2014, followed by the South Runway in 2019 which included an upgrade to the technologies deployed, as part of a regular maintenance programme to ensure the resilience and round the clock availability of the airfield.

Approaching the end of its pavement life, and while airport traffic is witnessing an aggressive rebound post COVID-19, the decision to rehabilitate the North Runway was taken so as to not impact the airport’s operation in the next decade.

The rehabilitation works involved the full 4,500 meters reconstruction of the central strip of the runway, all associated taxiways and graded safety strips. Over 295,000 tons of special mix asphalt and 125,000 tons of concrete have been placed on site since the start of the works to date. Over 4,230 fully addressable state of the art LED Airfield Lighting (AFL) have been upgraded and reinstalled. In addition, the latest technology in the Navigational Aid and the Meteorological Equipment (MET) systems were installed to improve the safety and increase the operational capacity of the North Runaway.
 
For the success of such a major project, the preparatory works were essential and substantial. Over a year before the onset of the project, detailed requirements, condition assessments, planning, design, construction logistics and phasing works had to be coordinated very closely and in an integrated manner with the key entities and stakeholders of the airport, local authorities, the contractor and the consultant.

Special measures and arrangements were put in place to mitigate the overspill of the traffic resulting from this closure to the Passenger Terminal of Dubai World Central (DWC), and an extensive public awareness campaign was put in place informing the general public of those changes. Furthermore, Dubai Airports set up a free bus shuttle service between DXB and DWC airports to facilitate connectivity and ensure a smooth experience for passengers.

Upon completion of the North Runway Rehabilitation project, the airfield at DXB will allow for continuous air traffic growth for a significant number of years to come. The aforementioned growth constitutes a fundamental objective in Dubai’s strategy of being a world-class tourism destination and a logistics hub.