Dubai Information

Dubai (transliteration: Dubaiy) is one of the seven emirates and the most populous city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. The city of Dubai is sometimes called "Dubai city" to distinguish it from the emirate.
Written accounts document the existence of the city for at least 150 years prior to the formation of the UAE. Dubai shares legal, political, military and economic functions with the other emirates within a federal framework, although each emirate has jurisdiction over some functions such as civic law enforcement and provision and upkeep of local facilities. Dubai has the largest population and is the second largest emirate by area, after Abu Dhabi. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to possess veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature.Dubai has been ruled by the Al Maktoum dynasty since 1833. Dubai's current ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is also the Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE.
The emirate's revenues are from trade, real estate and financial services. Revenues from petroleum and natural gas contribute less than 6% (2006) of Dubai's US$ 37 billion economy (2005). Real estate and construction, on the other hand, contributed 22.6% to the economy in 2005, before the current large-scale construction boom. Dubai has attracted worldwide attention through innovative real estate projects and sports events. This increased attention, coinciding with its emergence as a world business hub, has also highlighted human rights issues concerning its largely foreign workforce.

Dubai Airport

Dubai International Airport (IATA: DXB, ICAO: OMDB) is an international airport serving Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates. It is a major aviation hub in the Middle East, and is the main airport in Dubai. In 2007, the airport handled over 29% of all flights entering and leaving the Middle East, and Africa Region.
The airport is operated by the Department of Civil Aviation and is the home base of Dubai's international airline, Emirates Airline and Emirates SkyCargo, as well as serving as a secondary hub for the Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways. Other smaller passenger and cargo airlines use the airport as a hub and these include Dolphin Air and Falcon Express Cargo Airlines. Airlines with secondary hubs at the airport include Royal Jordanian, British Gulf International Airlines, Iran Aseman Airlines, DAS Air Cargo, airblue, Iran Air and African Express Airways. It is a focus city for a number of airlines including; Singapore Airlines, Yemenia, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Air India, Pakistan International Airlines, and Jubba Airways. As of 8 June 2008, there are about 5,100 weekly flights operated by 140 airlines to over 260 destinations.
The airport operates flights from Dubai to North America, Europe, South America, East Asia, Southwest Asia, South Asia, Australasia, and Africa. Dubai International Airport will be complemented by Al Maktoum International Airport (Dubai World Central International Airport), a new 140 km2 (54 sq mi) airport that will help handle the influx of travellers well into the future.
In 2007, the airport handled a record 34,348,110 passengers, a 18.3% increase over the 2006 fiscal year. This made it the 27th busiest airport in the world and, with 33,481,257 passengers, the 8th busiest airport in the world, in terms of international passenger traffic. In addition to being an important passenger traffic hub, the airport is one of the busiest cargo airports in the world, handling 1.668 million tonnes of cargo in 2007. The new S$4.5 billion Terminal 3 opened on 14 October 2008, and Terminal 2 will be upgraded. Concourse 3 is also part of Terminal 3, and is expected to be completed by 2011. Terminal 3 is a massive new addition the the airport, and will add 1.5 km2 (0.58 sq mi). With the new Terminal 3 (including Concourse 1 and 2), the airport will be able to handle 60 million passengers annually, a target which the airport expects to reach within three years.