The Dubai
International Airport was built in 1959 by order of the late
ruler, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and was the first
airport to be built in the UAE. At that time, the airport
only contained one runway, which length was 1.8 km (1.12 miles).
The airport is 4 km (2.5 miles) south-east of the city center
and is positioned at latitude 25° 25 N, longitude 55°
36 E. The Dubai Airport is the fastest growing airport in
the Middle East and has been nominated the best airport in
2002 and 2003 by a survey carried out by IATA (International
Air Transport Association).
Airport Facilities
The Dubai Intl. Airport is continuously developing and currently
has 2 terminals and accommodates 100 airlines, which connect
to over 140 destinations. The airport has a meet-and-greet
assistance service known as Marhaba
Services [+971 (4) 224 5780].
Terminal 1 (Sheikh Rashid Terminal or
Concourse 1)
This
terminal is the main heart of the Dubai Airport and was reopened
in April 2000 as the second stage of the airport expansion
program, which began in 1997. The terminal is 0.8 km (0.5
miles) in length and connects to the check-in area by a 0.3
km (0.19 miles) underground tunnel containing moving walkway
(conveyer belt / travelators). The terminal has also installed
an advanced passenger clearance system,
known as e-gate, which uses a smart card to electronically
screen a passenger’s data. Terminal 1 comprises of five
levels; the first contains the Dubai Duty Free, the second
for departure, the third for arrival, and the last two levels
are for the airport hotel. The terminal contains 27 boarding
gates, 47 aerobridges, and a total of 36 lounges, which consist
of first class, business class, airline, quiet, and regular/economy
class lounges accommodate Terminal 1 travellers. It
also contains a hotel, business centre, health club, exchanges,
dining and entertainment facilities, internet services, medical
center, post office, prayer room, and shopping at the Dubai
Duty Free.
Terminal 2
The terminal was built to reduce the congestion of Terminal
1 and was opened in May 1998, as the first stage of expansion
of the Dubai airport. Terminal 2 is accessible from the Al Twar Road and caters to regional, point-to-point,
scheduled, chartered, and executive flights. The terminal covers an area of 12,000 square meters and has 22 check-in counters, one first and business class lounges, 1,300 square meters of duty free shopping, banking facilities, ATM machines, and restaurants.
Terminal 3
The second stage of the airport expansion involves the building of Terminal 3, Concourse 2, Concourse 3, a mega cargo terminal, flower center, and an apron area. Terminal 3 and the two concourses will be dedicated to Emirates Airlines flights. The construction began in 2002 and is set to be completed by 2006.
Transportation from the Airport
Transportation from the airport is possible by taxi, bus,
car rental, and limousine. The taxi service is provided by
the government-run Dubai Transport airport
taxi service, where each cab is meter-run. Airport
taxis are meter cabs with a pick-up charge of Dhs. 20 (US$ 5.50)
and the final fare will be calculated according to the recorded
distance travelled. The Dubai Municipality public bus system
costs Dhs. 3 per person and travels on bus routes 401 and
402 to either the Al Sabkha or Al Ghubaiba bus stations, passing
by, or near, many of the hotels and apartments found in Dubai.
There are 15 car rental companies with offices at the airport,
and the majority of them provide chauffeur services. Limousine
services are present at the Dubai airport through Siji Limousines
and Dubai VIP Limousine Service.
Hotels and Accommodations
Terminal
1 houses the Dubai International Hotel, which is a five star
hotel with 88 rooms, restaurants, G-Force health club, swimming
pool, and a business and conference facilities. The hotel
occupies the last 2 levels of the Shaikh Rashid Terminal and
the hotel prices are per hour starting from around Dhs. 100
(US$ 27). There are three hotels within 1 km (0.62 miles) of
the airport, which are the Millennium Airport Hotel, Al
Bustan Rotana Hotel and Le Meridien Hotel. Other hotels
can be reached by bus or car and take between 5 to 15 minutes
to reach.
Other Info
The
Department of Civil Aviation, whose president is Shaikh Ahmed
bin Saeed Al Maktoom, controls the Dubai International Airport.
The Dubai International Airport vicinity also contains the Dubai Airport
Free Zone, the Airport
Expo Dubai, and the Dubai
Cargo Village. The Dubai government also owns its own
airlines, Emirates
Airlines.
Notes:
The information included on this page is as accurate as possible
at the time of its writing. The variants of the word Dubai
are Dobuy, Dubayy, Dubay.
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