He celebrated its 60th anniversary

Dubai International ... from the "compressed sand" runway to the world's first airport

Dubai’s journey to become the first global aviation capital began on September 30, 1960, with the opening of Dubai International Airport, which celebrated its 60th anniversary, achieving several achievements in the global aviation industry, and continuing to record record growth rates in recent decades, to become the largest hub for international travelers in The world, as the airport welcomed the passenger number "billion" at the end of 2018.

Airport opening

On December 30, 1960, a Lebanese Airlines plane belonging to the Lebanese airline "Middle East", a "Comet 4", inaugurated the opening of the airport, in the presence of about 3000 people who came by cars, buses, and some of them used camels and horses to attend the event, noting that residents of Dubai witnessed in the year 1936 The first seaplane lands on the waters of the Creek in a reconnaissance flight, starting the first regular commercial flight to Dubai near the City Center shopping mall in October 1937.

Inflow of investments

The economic and urban growth in the emirate during the year 1964 contributed to the flow of investments, which was reflected in a significant increase in passenger traffic through the airport, and to increase its capacity, during the following year the construction of a new runway built with asphalt instead of a "compact sand runway" was completed, so that the airport was ready. To receive the largest aircraft models.

Equipped with advanced night lighting and radar devices, the airport began receiving scheduled night flights in 1966 from Arab and international capitals.

Strategic decision

The late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, may God rest his soul, made in 1969 a strategic decision to construct a new building for Dubai Airport near the airport in operation, and the new design included a modern building consisting of three floors and an observation tower, as well as aircraft stands and offices for the administration.

Dubai International recorded the highest growth rate in its history in 1970, which reached 66%, as the number of passengers increased to more than 524 thousand passengers compared to 315 thousand passengers in 1960.

Adult club

For the first time in its history, Dubai International entered the Grand Airports Club in 1997, as it ranked sixth in a list of the 10 fastest growing airports in the world, at a rate of 14%, surpassing the major international airports in Europe and Asia.

During the period between 1980 and 2010, the air transport sector in Dubai witnessed a number of developments that boosted the process of growth to unprecedented levels. On October 25, 1985, Emirates Airlines launched its first airline with only two aircraft, namely two Boeing 737 leased aircraft. »And« Airbus B4 300 »to the Pakistani capital, Karachi.

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