Dubai Airports has announced that it will conduct an extensive runway enhancement project at Dubai International Airport (DXB) in 2014
The work will begin on 1 May next year and take 80 days to complete.
The airport authority said that in order for work to be complete in time, the number of scheduled flights would be reduced, while all freight, charter and general aviation traffic would be diverted to the new Dubai World Central Airport near Jebel Ali.
The northern runway at the airport is nearing the end of its design life and requires resurfacing and modifying to accommodate future traffic growth, officials said, adding that improvements were needed on lighting and for new taxiways on the southern runway.
Nearly 509,703 cubic metres of new asphalt will be needed to cover the northern runway, while 184,059 cubic metres of asphalt and 75,000 cubic metres of concrete will be needed for southern runway and taxiway improvements, along with 3,000 new runway lights.
The southern runway will be closed from 1-31 May 2014, while the northern runway will be out of operation from 31 May to 20 July 2014.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said, ?While we regret any inconvenience caused to our airline customers and our passengers, these upgrades are necessary to heighten safety, boost capacity and pave the way for future expansion.?