Emirates will return to pre-Covid levels of activity in the next 12 months while Dubai International Airport will resume full operations next week, according to a senior official.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group said the reopening of Concourse A next week will provide a “positive impetus” to the aviation sector in the country.
He added that efforts being made to coordinate with different countries and aviation authorities across the world will make it possible for Emirates to return to 2019 levels.
Stressing that international cooperation is critical for the global aviation sector to return to pre-pandemic levels, he said discussions are ongoing with authorities in various destinations worldwide to resume normal flight schedules.
Sheikh Ahmed (pictured below) said Dubai authorities are working to restore the high passenger numbers before the pandemic, which saw DXB handling 90 million international passengers annually, making it one of the world’s busiest international airports.
He commended Emirates SkyCargo for using its cargo transportation capabilities from both DXB and Al Maktoum Airport over the last two years to deliver aid supplies to many countries to help them combat the pandemic, adding that Emirates played a leading role in using its logistics infrastructure to transport vaccines, medical supplies and equipment around the world during the crisis.
He was speaking at the latest edition of Dubai Airshow which this year has brought together 1,200 exhibitors, including 370 new ones, representing 148 countries.
Companies in the sector are looking to the Dubai Airshow as an event that can help chart a new course for the industry following the pandemic, he said.
The event, which concludes on Thursday, is expected to see companies announcing deals for aircraft, services, infrastructure and defence worth billions of dollars.
The airline was hit hard by the pandemic, and a collapse in its main business of long-haul travel led to its first loss in decades. The government ploughed in about $3.7 billion over the past year to keep it going.
Emirates may also consider listing units, Sheikh Ahmed said on Monday. This may include Dnata, whose businesses in cargo and ground handling, catering and retail, and travel services which saw demand return quickly wherever pandemic-related flight and travel restrictions were eased.
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