The boss of Dubai Airports is gearing up for a "enormous" increase in passenger numbers after the UK confirmed it would relax restrictions on travel from the UAE – but he admitted figures may not hit pre-pandemic level for another four years.
Paul Griffiths said the move to allow travellers from the Emirates to visit the UK without needing to quarantine – as long they are fully immunised with one of four approved vaccines – would be a huge boost to the aviation industry as the public embrace the "freedom to travel".
But he remained cautious about the road to a full recovery, admitting the airport may not return to its pre-pandemic levels until 2025.
Turbulent journey during pandemic
Mr Griffiths said the airport had been on a "turbulent journey" since the coronavirus outbreak, as the initial widespread grounding of flights and subsequent safety restrictions took their toll.
He said he hoped the recent easing of restrictions across the world would help the airport achieve between 35 to 40 per cent of its pre-Covid passenger numbers, which hit 86.4 million in 2019, by the end of this year.
He said the airport was operating at about 31 per cent of that capacity but believes that figure will rise significantly in the next 12 months.
"It's been a long, hard journey, quite a turbulent one, with ups and downs month on month, week on week," he told Dubai Eye radio's Business Breakfast.
"I think the real test will be the school half-term from northern Europe, where we are already starting to see some very, very busy days emerge for October.
"So we've got a little bit of a way to go. Now, we're expecting by the end of the year something like 26 million passengers, according to our latest forecast.
"Next year we're probably going to be about 56 or 57 million. This announcement might push that further north and hopefully by 2025 at the absolute latest I expect to be announcing numbers closer to those that we saw in 2019.
"I think it's probably quite a good idea for us to be a little bit conservative with our numbers and not plan to grow our production capacity too quickly because, of course, cash has been a massive challenge over the last 18 months. But I really do hope that I am being completely conservative and we will smash those numbers."
Demand for travel set to soar
In June, Emirates said it aimed to fly to 90 per cent of its pre-pandemic network by the end of the following month, operating 880 weekly services across 124 cities.
Mr Griffiths expects the "pent-up demand" from passengers freed from quarantine requirements to generate a surge in numbers flying through the airport in the coming weeks.
He described the UAE to UK travel changes as, "an absolutely enormous deal".
"I imagine if you have been a prisoner for some time and you're let out on parole, this must be exactly what it feels like, because it's just terrific now we're seeing all of the restrictions around the world just tumbled down. And I hope very soon we'll be back to DXB as we know and love it, you know the 2019 figures, hopefully, we'll be back with this very shortly," Mr Griffiths said.
He referred to Emirates' decision to increase its number of weekly flights from Dubai to UK to 77 by the end of October as testament to the progress being made.
"The thing we have missed most is that freedom to travel and now that's finally put to an end by the very excellent announcements we have.
"I'm sure that pent-up demand will be enormous, phones will be ringing off the hook, the internet will break. There will be a huge demand for air travel now that mobility is back on the agenda."
Vaccination the way forward
Mr Griffiths said moves by the UK and the US to open up to fully vaccinated travellers showed the importance of inoculation drives in aiding recovery from the pandemic.
The UAE has made a nationwide vaccination campaign central to its efforts to return to normality.
More than 19.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered to the public in the Emirates since December, with more than 81 per cent people now having received two doses.
"I do believe that's always been the way forward," Mr Griffiths said. "I've been arguing that for many, many months – get your vaccine. The vaccine passport is coming. It is the only way to recover the travel industry and I think now everyone is recognising that."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
More on Quran memorisation:
Results
2.15pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Hello, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihi (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Right Flank, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m
Winner: Leading Spirit, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 Dh575,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner: Ode To Autumn, Patrick Cosgrave, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh125,000 1,200m
Winner: Last Surprise, James Doyle, Simon Crisford.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,200m
Winner: Daltrey, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihi.
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Company%20profile
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The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The%C2%A0specs%20
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Aya Iskandarani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
Winner: Ferdous, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-3 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,400m
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6pm: UAE Arabian Derby Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 2,200m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Emirates Championship Group 1 (PA) Dh1,000,000 2,200m
Winner: Somoud, Patrick Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Group 3 (TB) Dh380,000 2,200m
Winner: GM Hopkins, Patrick Cosgrave, Jaber Ramadhan
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Conditions (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Bairaq, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
