Dubai World Central Airport set to open to passengers
Dubai World Central Airport will start to offer passenger services for the first time from October 27th 2013, it has been announced.Leaders of Dubai Airports confirmed that the new terminal - which was completed last year - will undergo a full testing programme in the coming months to see if it is ready to accommodate up to seven million visitors a year.The airport will be serviced by one A380-capable runway and will feature 64 remote aircraft stands. Travellers will also be able to use a number of food and drink establishments as they wait for their flights.Carriers nasair and Wizz Air will be the first to provide flights from Dubai's second airport, with the former planning to operate 50 services a week between the emirate and various destinations in Saudi Arabia.Wizz Air, meanwhile, will put on 1,500 weekly flights that link Dubai to 93 destinations, many of which will be in eastern Europe.Chief executive officer of Dubai Airports Paul Griffiths said the grand unveiling later this year will open another chapter in the city's already proud aviation story."The introduction of passenger services from Dubai World Central is the first step in the long term development of the airport and will provide an attractive alternative to travellers," he remarked."We are equally thrilled to welcome our launch airlines Wizz Air and nasair. We look forward to announcing additional airlines and services in the months to come."Dubai World Central first opened for cargo services in 2010 and it has grown ever since, with 36 different airlines now operating from the facility.This news follows the recent announcement that Dubai International Airport is now the second-busiest in the world.Figures published by Airports Council International showed that the aviation hub has now surpassed Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport in terms of passenger numbers and Mr Griffiths is confident that Dubai International will soon be in a position to take London Heathrow's crown as the busiest airport on earth.