Ajman airport plans press on against a backdrop of industry concern

The UAE has seven major airport projects. There are two major international airports in the west Abu Dhabi International and the new Dubai World Central; The rapidly growing Dubai International and Sharjah International airports within a few kilometres of each other and in the northern emirates Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah airports are both developing their international ambitions. Al Ain airport is also now growing its international potential.

While each emirate has justified its particular investments for specific niche marketing, there has been concern that the biggest challenge facing the UAE’s aviation prosperity (it currently represents 28% of GDP) is the scarcity of air space for the approaches to the growing UAE airports.

Dubai and the airports in Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah airports are barely 50nm apart. Dubai and Sharjah are only 12nm from each other. Each has its own civil aviation departments although working under an unbrella of the GCAA.

Already Dubai International Airport has become the third busiest international airport in the world behind London Heathrow and Paris; Dubai World Central is becoming a recognised global hub for cargo operations and is projected to become the world’s biggest and busiest airport in the next decade. Abu Dhabi is building its midfield terminal to take on the additional movements required to meet national carrier Etihad’s ambitions and those of the emirate’s high end tourism masters.

Ras Al Khaimah has reported a 25% growth in the last year and the development of international flights; Sharjah is seeing development of business aviation that is being shut out of Dubai and enjoying the growth of low cost carrier Air Arabia.

However, at a conference on aviation safety culture held in Dubai last week, concerns were expressed about the coordination of air traffic across the UAE and the impact of different systems and autonomies of air traffic management throughout the region.

Flights leaving Dubai to the east are often delayed because of clearances to enter Oman’s air space.

Ajman’s ambitions – albeit restricted to a million passengers a year- would add significantly to the slotting in of departures and arrivals. Particularly so since the Ajman field would be close to the centreline of Sharjah’s growing airport.

The pressing on of the plans is a political hot potato for GCAA, which has to recognise the right of each of the seven emirates to have control over their airport developments.

Dubai’s Khaleej Times this week quoted director general of the GCAA, Saif Al Suwaidi, stresseing that providing approval for operations in Ajman require re-evaluation of common airspace and joint agreements among other airports in other emirates including Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. The limited airspace due to the presence of these four airports close to each other pose major challenges to the establishment of a new airport. “But we are working hard to provide approval for the operation of the Ajman International Airport,” he said. Suwaidi told the newspaper that GCAA is in the process of holding meetings with all airports in the northern emirates to reach the best possible solution in order to ensure continuity in achieving the highest degree of safety for air traffic in the country.

The newspaper quoted both Ajman’s crown prince Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi and an unanamed government official. The official described the project as being designed to “accommodate various types of aircraft, serving at least one million passengers a year and handling a minimum of 400,000 tonnes of cargo. However, initially, it will start with cargo services and air taxis to transport passengers to other emirates. The airport will have the latest technologies most modern European airports have.

“An Airport City including residential buildings, hotels, restaurants and shopping malls and centres, is also under completion,” the official said.

An airfield in the seventh emirate – Umm Al Quwain – is now closed and its 1800m runway lies in disrepair alongside an abandoned Russian freighter.

Ajman is understood to be working with a Spanish led consortium called White Lake which became involved with the project after former design and development contractor Wiggins Group collapsed.