Posted inUAE

Dubai airport sees 65% cut in public announcements

Region’s first ‘silent airport’ project aims to phase out older, noisier planes.

NOISE PLAN: The number of airport announcements have been cut from 2,000 in all three terminals to less than 700. (Getty Images)
NOISE PLAN: The number of airport announcements have been cut from 2,000 in all three terminals to less than 700. (Getty Images)

Dubai International Airport has reduced the number of public announcements by 65 percent and plans to phase out older aircraft that do not confirm to noise standards, Dubai Airports has announced.

Described as the region’s first ‘silent airport’ project, Dubai Airports is aiming to reduce the number of public announcements made across all three terminals at Dubai International Airport, the world’s fourth busiest airport for international passenger traffic.

“Over the past ten months we have worked closely with our customer airlines to limit announcements to a maximum of two per flight,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

“As a result we have cut the number of daily announcements from over 2000 across all three terminals to less than 700 with no impact on departure performance,” he added.

The initiative is one of several being implemented in airports around the world, but is the first to be introduced in the Middle East.

Dubai Airports also announced that, in conjunction with the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, it is planning a phased withdrawal of older generation aircraft that do not conform to international noise and emission standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

It said that ICAO classified Chapter 1 and 2 aircraft will be banned from operating cargo flights at Dubai International from October 31 this year and passenger flights effective March 27 next year.

However, it was confirmed that Chapter 1 and 2 aircraft will be allowed to continue operations at Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International until April 1, 2012.

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