Dubai Airports confirmed on Sunday (April 14) that operations teams at both airports are 'good to go' for the commencement of the 45-day long refurbishment of the southern runway at Dubai International Airport (DXB). The runway is nearing the end of its design life and requires a complete upgrade to accommodate future traffic growth.

The main visible difference for passengers will be a potential change in airports, although scheduling experts have optimised DXB's one runway operation to the point where there will be only a 29 per cent reduction in the number of available seats. Thanks to the additional capacity provided by DWC, the number of flights across the Dubai Airport system will see a reduction of just 19 per cent and a seat reduction of just 20 per cent.

Many customers will get to experience the speed and convenience of Dubai's second airport Dubai World Central (DWC) for the first time during the closure as it takes on additional traffic from affected scheduled, charter, cargo and general aviation operations. DWC will handle an average of 145 passenger flights per day operated during the period by airlines including flydubai, Wizz Air, Aeroflot, Indigo, SpiceJet, Gulf Air, Ukraine International Airlines, Ural Airlines, Nepal Airlines, Kuwait Airways and flynas.*

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority will provide a fully integrated ground transportation solution for DWC with a regular bus service from key locations in Dubai and a dedicated fleet of taxis serving the airport offering discounts throughout the closure period. Dubai Airports will also have a free express bus service operating between DXB and DWC every 30 minutes departing from DXB Terminals 1, 2 and 3. Customers will also be able to take advantage of the free shaded parking at DWC's 2,500 capacity car park.