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Striding towards a confident future
Dubai has long been involved in trading – from the early trading post to the current development as a business hub. In the thirties, dhows or the traditional Arabic sailing boats plied their merchandise on ocean routes to the Indian sub-continent, Africa and the Orient. However with the advent of aviation, the entire trading operations underwent a major change. In fact, Dubai is today, one of the most spectacular economic and urban success stories. It is one of the leading business and leisure destinations in the world. The journey from being just a port on the Arabian Gulf to a business and aviation hub took a mere 40 years! Aviation in Dubai began when the first Imperial Airways flying boat, operating a weekly service between the United Kingdom and Karachi, landed on the Dubai Creek in 1937.
The airline needed a base in the Gulf and Dubai being on the crossroads to the East and the West, provided the ideal stopover. The landing fee then charged was Rs 10 while the rent for the premises, including the guard’s fee, was Rs 5,280. What was offered is what is still offered – exceptional value for exceptionally good service. A year later, the frequency of the flights was increased to four a week and by 1944 there were eight flights a week and we have not looked back since. The then ruler, HH Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, has been given the title of a visionary. His visions for the future charted a course which saw the emergence of Dubai, a name to reckon with.
A city which has leapt from the past into the present and towards an extremely confident future in little more than just a generation. Dubai’s aviation history has seen exponential growth, to say the least. With the establishment of the Department of Civil Aviation in 1971 the emirate is today the aviation hub in the region and set to step into a future which will rank Dubai International Airport among the topmost airports in the world. With our open skies policy, strategic geographic location and aim to provide the highest standards of service we expect our growth to continue for some time to come. In keeping with the current rapid growth witnessed in terms of passenger, cargo and aircraft movement, we expect 70 million passengers by 2016. From the flying boats to DC 10s to jumbo jets, while the world now awaits the next generation of the magnificent flying machines – the sonic cruisers and super jumbos – we in Dubai are ready to face the future.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum
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