Dubai airport to partially close for 3 months next year

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I don’t usually cover general aviation news on Head for Points, but this story will have an impact on a lot of readers who may be planning to head to Dubai next year.

As per this website, one of the two runways at Dubai International will be out of action at any one time between 1 May 2014 and 20 July 2014. This will require all airlines using Dubai to reduce their schedules by around 50%.

Even with all cargo flights moved to the new airport, a 50% cut is still required from most airlines in order to allow all airlines to have at least 1 landing and take-off slot per day. (If you only have 1 flight a day, you can’t cut 50% of that!)

This will obviously have substantial impacts on Avios reward availability over this period as BA will presumably be running its remaining flights at 100% capacity with paid tickets. One option may be to deploy one of the new A380’s to cover Dubai for two months, which would give a boost to passenger capacity.

For most people, May 1st should avoid the Easter school holidays, although it may vary from area to area.

Category

General

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

creampuff says:

16 May16 May 08:59

Well there is a news story on the homepage of Flyertalk, which was also widely reported in the Australian press, about an Australian woman who was jailed for 9 months for being raped in Dubai (‘cos the men who raped her were married, so getting raped is adultery, which is a jailable offence in Dubai, innit). This is not the only case of this nature.

I’m happy to give Dubai/UAE a miss in general until they drag their laws out of the stoneage.
- callum says:
  
  16 May16 May 11:00
  
  Don’t hold your breath. Though I’m happy to give Dubai a miss regardless – this is somewhat against the grain but I hate the place!
- richie says:
  
  16 May16 May 13:18
  
  i Seriously do not believe this is the case. there must have been some misinterpretation somewhere. there would be a public outcry!!!
  And i’m sure this would have been in the media over here if this was the case.
  People shouldn’t be put off by comments like this. yes Dubai may lack the natural beauty/ wonders of other tourist destinations, however the stunning modern architecture more than makes up for this in my opinion. Its similar to Singapore in a way for me- A mass Multi nationality melting pot, with wonderful feats of engineering , excellent food , and of course the glorious weather.
  Iv been there 6 -7 times (3 this year) and iv never heard of or seen any rape victims being locked up. come to think about it i haven’t even seen a single rape take place……i feel your comments are not appropriate here’ possibly more @ http://www.dailymail.co.uk.
  As for these needed renewals its just another step in emirates becoming and keeping its hold as the dominant world carrier, i just hope Turkish airlines can improve and grow as they plan to so they have some competition. and Qatar joining one world is also a good thing
  - creampuff says:
    
    16 May16 May 14:26
    
    This was indeed the case. It has been widely reported in the Australian media. It took place in 2008 and it has been in the news in 2008.
    
    She was jailed because one of the rapists was married, thus she was deemed to have committed adultery.
    
    Here are some recent news links, from reputable sources:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13680409
    
    Don’t think this is the only example:
    Here is a British woman who was arrested after being raped:
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/dubai/6949008/British-woman-arrested-in-Dubai-after-being-raped.html
    
    Filipono woman, raped then jailed:
    http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/woman-in-prison-over-rape-claim
    
    No rape in this case, however British woman charged with adultery:
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/dubai/8272148/Mother-of-British-girl-jailed-in-Dubai-over-love-triangle-speaks-of-desperation.html
    
    You have your head in Dubai’s ample sand if you think this does not take place.
    - richie says:
      
      16 May16 May 16:31
      
      She was not arrested for being raped. she was arrested for sex outside marriage and drinking . it was not sex with the rapist that was the problem it was sex with her fiance . they were Muslims who lived under sharia law. quote telegraph ”Despite approaching police about the attack, she was arrested after admitting to “illegal drinking” outside licensed premises as well as having sexual intercourse outside marriage. Her fiancé was also charged with the same offences”
      
      The middle east is a wonderful place, from the dead sea in Israel/Jordan to the Royal opera house in muscat . you just need to understand this is a widely diverse area with medium to very strong religious beliefs and this is not the kind of place to go on a p*ss-up. Dubai is one of the most relaxed states (certainly i the uae)
      
      anyway i’m not going to get i to arguments about this i would just like to point out Dubai and the emirates, as-well as many other middle eastern countries , are wonderful SAFE places to visit.
      - creampuff says:
        
        16 May16 May 17:05
        
        Well Dubai is safe, unless you happen to get raped, in which case you may end up in jail in addition to dealing with the rape.
        
        Only the British woman was arrested for adultery with someone not connected to the rape (her b/f, fiance). In the case of the Australian woman, the “adultery” was the rapists. Regardless, I’d put it out there that having sex with your fiance with whom you are not yet married would not land you in jail, except in a place like Dubai.
      - richie says:
        
        16 May16 May 18:38
        
        For western tourists no, however for Muslims who live under sharia law. yes it is a jail-able offence. Some would say we should respect the beliefs and traditions of the host country when visiting abroad.
        
        I think you could pull a number of old news stories about any country/culture and find the negatives. Human rights abuse from the USA. Australia for the way the the aboriginals.
        even Austria because it gave birth to Hitler. However none of these things stoop me from visiting these places or trying to put others off the delights they offer.
Colin says:

16 May16 May 20:15

Anyways, back to the airport. Anyone used the Marhaba lounge? Any good? Always used the DCA Business Lounge which can vary from great to awful.
- richie says:
  
  17 May17 May 00:05
  
  i used the new one at the terminal 3 i think . its the one at the new a380 part. Qantas or emirates.
  pretty good lounge.
  Food- lots of curry style dishes, rice, pasta, salads, deserts, snacks nuts etc, sushi,
  drinks- pretty good choice, jw black label if i remember. waiter service
  smoking room
  large lots of comfy sofas
  showers were out of use when i was there 2nd april
  fast wifi
  i’m sure all the mahaba lounges are similar, iv also used the non-airside one on level one. was also pretty nice but not as plush.
Same Derek says:

17 May17 May 01:20

I’m curious as to why this would affect a lot of the readers.

It would be easier it you kept it a rehash blog from travel forums rather than one which covered routes you fly with your family.
- Rob says:
  
  17 May17 May 06:45
  
  Dubai is a very popular Avios redemption route. BA runs 3 flights a day down there and availability is very good, in general. Hence the reason for the post.
  
  I would have run a similar post about anywhere else on the ‘top 10 long-haul Avios redemption routes’ list.
  - richie says:
    
    17 May17 May 17:01
    
    just out of curiosity, could you post the top 10 list?
    - Rob says:
      
      17 May17 May 17:55
      
      Don’t have one … Just a sensible guess based on the number of seats per day and the attraction as a leisure destination.
      - Blenz101 says:
        
        17 May17 May 22:40
        
        In 2011 top 10 BA destinations list was Marrakech, followed by San Diego, New York, St Kitts & Nevis, Puerto Rico, Maldives, Japan, Las Vegas, Mauritius and St Lucia.
        source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/12/prweb4886834.htm
        
        Not disputing what you say about Dubai being an easy avios route or attractive to some tastes as a leisure destination – just found remember seeing this list and found it interesting.
      - Rob says:
        
        18 May18 May 07:13
        
        That Top 10 list is nonsense! It is PR puff. If you read it carefully, it is a list BA put together of the most interesting leisure places to flies to, decided by them ….. not based on volume, income or anything!