UAE Press: Dubai Airport Reflects The Futuristic City That Lies Beyond
Muhammad Irfan Published August 13, 2019 | 10:30 AM
ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Aug, 2019) "Pictures of Dubai international airport in its early days in 1960 show a small, single terminal building next to a basic aircraft, with a few battered Land Rovers parked near the runway in a desolate landscape," said a UAE daily in an editorial today.
"From those humble beginnings, DXB – as it is fondly referred to by regular travellers – has grown to be not just the world’s busiest international airport but a showcase of the UAE’s embrace of technology and innovation," noted The National.
The paper explained, "In December last year, it welcomed its billionth passenger. This year, it remains the world’s busiest hub for international jetsetters. The airport processed 41.1 million passengers in the first six months of the year, compared to the 38.8 million passing through Heathrow in London and 37.8 million transiting through third-placed Hong Kong. In a measure of the UAE’s openness to the world, diverse destinations such as India, Saudi Arabia and Britain were the top three countries for arriving passengers, amounting to 28 per cent of traffic.
"Key to maintaining the airport’s position has been its constant development to make passengers' lives hassle-free, which would not have happened without a forward-thinking strategy from its management.
Last year the airport was one of the first to implement face-scanning technology, with the aim of eventually dispensing with the need for physical documents. Plans are underway to integrate solar-powered and self-driving cars into ground transportation and Emirates airline chief Tim Clark envisions innovative measures in the near future, with robots handing passengers their baggage."
Airports can often give the impression of being shackled by bureaucracy and endless queues and generally being unwelcoming places, particularly to long-distance travellers, the editorial stated, adding "Dubai's airport has done much to dispel that fusty image."
"But a state-of-the art airport would not have been possible without the inherent openness of the Dubai model, dating back to its history as a trading hub, first by sea and camel and now by air, thanks to investments in infrastructure."
"That tiny airport in 1960 was a precursor of today's model of a futuristic transit hub, which gives a taster of the modern city beyond," concluded the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Tennis: ATP Barcelona Open results - 1st update
Swiatek's perfect 10 in Stuttgart as Vondrousova stuns Sabalenka
Arandu's roads closed due to flooding
Oil tanker catches fire in Islamabad’s Blue Area
Pakistan committed to ensure safety of foreign nationals: FO
Tennis: WTA Stuttgart results - 1st update
Four passengers injured as train hit an empty vehicle
Over- speeding bus crushed to death two bike riders
Turkey's Freedom Flotilla ready to set sail for Gaza
French teen dies from heart failure after knife attack near school
Iranians appear unfazed by Isfahan blasts
UAF celebrates Int'l Chinese Language Day
More Stories From Middle East
-
UAE announces ‘Zero Bureaucracy Program’ to reduce bureaucracy
3 months ago -
COP28 President-Designate welcomes Transitional Committee agreement to operationalise Loss and Damag ..
6 months ago -
Global Media Congress 2023 to feature Co-Production Majlis as a new networking platform
6 months ago -
Young female athletes shine at Abu Dhabi World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship
6 months ago -
King of Jordan receives Abdullah bin Zayed and ministers participating in Arab coordination meeting
6 months ago -
Abdullah bin Zayed participates in coordination meeting of Arab foreign ministers, joint meeting wit ..
6 months ago
-
3rd annual conference of Emirates Society of Clinical Microbiology kicks off in Dubai
6 months ago -
SIBF 2023 hosts Nobel laureate to discuss emergence of ‘Afrofuturism’ in global discourse
6 months ago -
ALC announces winners of Kanz Al Jeel Award 2023
6 months ago -
SIBF turns spotlight on remarkable contributions of women
6 months ago -
Global assets in spot bitcoin ETFs hit $4.16 billion
6 months ago -
Rescuers struggle to find Nepal quake survivors as deaths reach 157
6 months ago