Owing to an ever-increasing number of travelers, Dubai Airport also continued to go from strength to strength. In 1984, it already had to have a second runaway to accommodate for flight traffic. Since then, there has been a gradual expansion of terminal facilities as well. At first, the original terminal was expanded. Then in 1998, came Terminal 2 - marked for handling of low-cost regional carriers. And the phenomenal fleet growth of Emirates Airline meant that it had to have a dedicated service handling facility for itself. So, Terminal 3 was introduced into service in the year 2008. Today, Dubai’s status is that of a global aviation hub. It is currently working on developing a separate, grand airport facility in the south of Dubai.
The History of Dubai Airport - Part 01: Link to Excerpt 01: ua-cam.com/video/MKonREMBpNU/v-deo.htmlsi=J4fDalt_snenjGOZ
Owing to its strategic location, Dubai had established a consolidated belief in trading practices. While much of its economic revival was linked with trading in gold, Dubai was importing and re-exporting a range of other items as well. Overall, the trade business was flourishing, and Dubai was now looking at ways to increase its service opportunities. In view of growth, the obvious intent at that time was to expand the natural creek to make room for larger trading boats. But Dubai had plans far more ambitious.
By the year 1958, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum had come into power. In good economic momentum, Dubai was already hosting a few seaplanes on its creek. Now, sighting future potential, Sheikh Rashid wished to have an airport as well. But the British wouldn’t allow - suggesting that the neighboring airport facility in Sharjah was enough to service the needs of the region. Still, Sheikh Rashid kept firm, and in 1959, decided to visit the British prime minister in London for negotiations. In the end, Sheikh Rashid finally managed to convince then prime minister Harold Macmillan about Dubai’s case to operate an international airport. And next year in 1960, Dubai international airport eventually opened its gates for commercial traffic, marking the beginning of a major transit destination of modern times.
Link to Full Documentary: ua-cam.com/video/ufBz2_793xE/v-deo.htmlsi=N74wqD9X2dNRZV6H
Link to Excerpt 01: ua-cam.com/video/8IpU5K6SVIg/v-deo.htmlsi=r34MV4YWo77hPF7H
Post union, development across the Emirates picked up even greater speed. Trade was flourishing like never before. The recently completed, fifteen berth Port Rashid, was already being expanded by another twenty-two berths. Local businesses were growing, and capacity demands from the traders were increasing all the time. In parallel, Sheikh Rashid was now setting his eyes on industrial development in Dubai. He envisioned Dubai’s industrial complex to be in Jebel Ali - nearly, forty kilometers away from the city’s domestic population. This ambitious industrial zone would need to be supported by a dedicated port facility.
Link to Excerpt 02: ua-cam.com/video/tGXL70lFP6k/v-deo.htmlsi=lK5MG_U1chQJtLKH
After developing a consolidated services infrastructure, one might have thought that sky is the limit, but certainly not for Dubai. “International Space Station, this is Becky Anderson of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai, how do you read? Becky, this is Sultan Al Neyadi from the International Space Station, I have you loud and clear.” Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai is part of the ambitious national space program of the United Arab Emirates - and recently, it’s been very busy - recording multiple accomplishments in quick successions.
Link to Excerpt 03: ua-cam.com/video/_UXjFTPCFAs/v-deo.htmlsi=wQ5Sp7sfBSuMDZUU
Sir Tim Clark: There was a group of about ten of us. Sheikh Ahmed had just been made the Chairman. Maurice Flanagan was the Managing Director and eight or nine of us. We started with a clean sheet of paper. Government said they wanted an airline. They set the rules of the game with regards to what the airline was to look like, and they gave us ten million dollars. And since that, they have given us nothing else. The business plan, the model that we had, still sits in the bottom drawer of my desk here. Was written out in hand. And it had ten points. And each of those points, apart from two of them, are still holding good today. And I think, it’s been the essence of our success. The simplicity of our model. The scalability of our model. And the determination, and the focus to get the job done.
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