News from Dubai » Dubai International Airport

Visa changes for Canadians visiting Dubai

David — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 13:33:45 +0000

Effective January 2 2011, Canadian citizens are required to obtain visas before travelling to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.

Until today Canadians were able to obtain free 30 day visit visas on arrival at Dubai International Airport and other points of entry into the UAE.

According to the website of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Ottawa a short term visit visa, valid for 30 days, will cost Canadian citizens $250.

The change is a result of a diplomatic argument between Canada and the UAE over airline landing rights at Canadian airports.

Metro station openings delayed

David — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:18:13 +0000

Emirates Business reports that 7 stations on the Dubai Metro Red Line will open on April 30 2010, and not April 25 as previously reported.

The new stations opening are: Emirates HQ, Dubai International Airport Terminal 1, GGICO (Al Garhoud), Al Karama, Trade Centre, Dubai Marina, and the Ibn Battuta Mall.

The remaining 11 stations will open in October.

Seven more Metro stations opening in April

David — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:23:40 +0000

The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced that seven more stations on the Dubai Metro Red Line will open on April 25 2010.

The new stations opening are: Emirates HQ, Dubai International Airport Terminal 1, GGICO (Al Garhoud), Al Karama, Trade Centre, Dubai Marina, and the Ibn Battuta Mall.

The Red Line opened with 10 stations on September 9 2009. The Burj Khalifa Metro Station opened in January 2010.

The remaining 11 stations will open in the ‘following months’.

The RTA also announced that the completion date for the Green Line has been pushed back to August 2011.

Dubai Metro opening this week

David — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:56:13 +0000

The Dubai Metro will begin operations on September 9 2009 with 10 stations on the Red Line.

However services on the opening day will be restricted to VIPs invited by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The system will open to the public the following day.

Stations opening on the first day are Rashidiya, Dubai International Airport (Terminal 3), Deira City Centre, Al Rigga, Union Square, Khalid bin Waleed, Al Jafiliya, Dubai International Financial Centre, Mall of the Emirates, and Nakheel Harbour & Tower.

The remaining stations will open over the coming months.

Throughout Ramadan the Dubai Metro service will operate from Saturday to Thursday 6 am until midnight. On Friday services will run from 2 pm to midnight.

After Ramadan the Metro service will run from Saturday to Thursday, 6.am to 11 pm, and on Fridays 2 pm to midnight.

Rezidor opening Park Inn Dubai Airport Free Zone

David — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:13:30 +0000

The Rezidor Hotel Group has announced plans for a new Park Inn hotel at Dubai Airport Free Zone. It will offer 312 rooms and is scheduled to open in 2012.

Park Inn is a mid-market brand of the Rezidor Hotel Group. Other brands in their portfolio are Radisson, Country Inn, Missoni, and Regent.

Visitors’ Information Bureau opens at Terminal 3

David — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:37:55 +0000

The Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has opened a Visitors’ Information Bureau (VIB) at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport.

Other VIBs are found at Terminal 1 and several shopping malls (BurJuman Centre, Deira City Centre, Ibn Battuta Mall, and Wafi City Mall).

Staff at VIBs can provide tourists with a great deal of information to help them with planning their vacation. They also stock brochures, maps, entertainment guides, and much more.

New Premier Inn opens

David — Fri, 08 May 2009 10:51:42 +0000

The Premier Inn Dubai Silicon Oasis has opened for business.

The UK budget hotel group opened their first hotel at Dubai Investment Park in April 2008.

The group plans to open another hotel near Dubai International Airport later this year.

Refurbishment work at Terminal 2

David — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:15:59 +0000

Refurbishment work on Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport is now complete.

The airport’s smallest terminal now includes:

• A new façade and wider drop-off area
• An increase in the number of check-in counters from 22 to 36
• Dubai Duty Free – 1400 sq metre store in Departures, and 50 sq metre store in Arrivals
• Restaurants – McDonalds’s, Baskin Robbins, Costa Coffee etc.
• Shuttle bus service to Terminal 1 (20 minutes) and Terminal 3 (30 minutes)

New Holiday Inn opening this summer

David — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:33:53 +0000

InterContinental Hotels Group have announced that their new Holiday Inn Express hotel in Al Garhoud will open this summer.

The Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport will offer budget accommodation close to Dubai International Airport and boast 381 rooms.

Airport reports record number of passengers

David — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:30:43 +0000

Dubai International Airport recorded a 9 percent increase in passenger arrivals and departures for the year ended 31 December 2008.

Passenger throughput for the year was 37,441,440, compared to 34,348,110 in 2007. Prior to the opening of Terminal 3, the airport was actually operating above capacity. Despite this, the number of planes departing on time actually improved by 20 percent over the previous year.

The volume of cargo passing through the airport also saw a similar increase.