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The Fujairah International Airport expansion programme is in final stages with the secondary runway 90 percent complete, and expected to be commissioned in August 2022, according to a senior official.
The 3,050x45-metre runway connects the taxiways and rapid exit taxiways.
“We are in the final stage of this project, and we are expecting a handover in a year from now. The runway is 90 percent ready while the new Air Traffic Control tower is 70 percent ready and expected to be commissioned by August this year together with the Energy Complex,” Esmaeil Mohamed Al Boloushi, General Manager, Fujairah Airport told Zawya Projects on the side lines of the Arabian Travel Mart last week.
The airfield rescue and fire-fighting station (ARFF Station) is slated for commissioning by May and the AGL substations 1 and 2 by July this year.
“Once we finish the handover of the new runway, we will start work on the existing runway extension and rehabilitation, which has a commissioning target date of March 2023,” said Al Boloushi.
“The UAE government is investing in Fujairah because it believes that the Emirate is very vital to the country and its economy due to its strategic proximity to Fujairah Port,” he added.
As the world’s third largest bunkering hub, Fujairah Port is seeking to expand its services with a dry bulk export facility in Dibba, expected to open this year, and plans to foray into LNG bunkering, according to a March 2022 article by Hellenic Shipping News.
“We used to focus on cargo but we realised that cargo [alone] will not help the economy or tourism sector in Fujairah. So now we are looking at other options such as charter flights and commercial flights so that we will support other stakeholders in Fujairah such as the hotels, restaurants and so on - everyone will benefit from the increase in the number of tourists.”
(Reporting by Sona Nambiar; Editing by Anoop Menon)
