Dubai International Runway Closure May Cut Seats by 29%

(Bloomberg) -- Available airline seats at Dubai International will decline by 29 percent as the world’s busiest airport upgrades a runway.

Dubai Airports will commence the 45-day long refurbishment of the southern runway at Dubai International at 3 p.m. on April 16, it said in an emailed statement on Sunday. “The runway is nearing the end of its design life and requires a complete upgrade to accommodate future traffic growth,” it said.

Dubai Airports will move some flights to the city’s second airport in the south, Dubai World Central, to try to reduce the impact, according to the statement. As a result, the number of seats across Dubai will decline by 20 percent.

Dubai is the home of Emirates, the world’s biggest airline for international passengers, and has used its position at a crossroads between the U.S., Europe and Asia to develop an unparalleled network of intercontinental connections. Emirates plans to reduce its flights by 25 percent during the closure of Dubai International Airport’s southern runway, it said in January.

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