If you’ve got a holiday booked in the next couple of weeks, we’re sorry to break the news to you but you’re going to face some major traffic and crowds.
Dubai Airport is predicting that over 250,000 people a day will be flying in and out of DXB over the weekends of June 30 and July 1, as well as July 7 to 9.
All in all, that means nearly 2 million passengers will be passing through Dubai’s famously busy airport terminals, making for crowds nearly as big as those seen during the 2015 Christmas rush.
If you’re wondering why the airport is predicted to be so busy, it’s due to the Eid break being likely to fall on Wednesday July 6, which means expats will be looking to head home for a quick holiday while Emiratis will also be looking to make the most of the long weekend.
Read: Eid Al Fitr Dates Announced
Read: DXB International Voted Best Airport In The Middle East
A massive 900,000 passengers will be flying over the weekend of June 30 to July 3 alone, meaning that the airport as a result will be putting on special activities to keep passengers entertained including giveaways, promotions, musical performances and more.
In preparation for the busy weekends, the RTA will be opening a traffic diversion extending from the intersection of Casablanca Road and Airport Road up to the intersection of Marrakech Road.
Road Map: Red lines is the proposed temporary road road diversion. The Purple circles highlight the bridge sub-structure under construction
Engineer Maitha bin Adai, CEO of RTA’s Traffic & Roads Agency said: “Under Phase One, this detour would remain in place until the end of August this year. The detour would be fitted with all the needed traffic safety means such as traffic signals and cautionary lights.” The Airport Road Improvement Project is part of a plan set by the RTA in order to accommodate the projected passenger growth passing through DXB, which is expected to shoot to 92 million passengers annuals by 2020.
Dubai International Airport won’t be this quiet over the next weekends
If you are booked in for a flight around the busy weekends, you can try to make your travel experience as seamless as possible by following a few top tips…
– Try to arrive to the airport as early as possible. Around three hours prior to departure should be alright.
– Either remove all your liquids, aerosols and gels from your check-in baggage, or place them in a clear re-sealable plastic bag. Each item should be no larger than 100ml, with the combined total of all your items being no more than one litre.
– Prepare for the security screenings by removing all metal from your person beforehand. Take off your belt, hat, jacket in preparation, and be prepared to remove your laptop from its bag.
– Check in online if possible, it’ll save precious minutes at the airport.
Keep Entertained At The Airport
So you’ve gotten to the airport super early in order to avoid the mayhem – well done you. Now you need to find some cool things to do to keep you sane, entertained and occupied. We’ve got you covered here with 12 amazing things you didn’t know you can do in Dubai airport.
Images: Getty
