A pre-existing airport in Dubai will be built up to include five parallel runways and 400 gates, allowing it to handle more passengers than any other airport in the world, according to the goverment. The UAE city of Dubai is set to invest $35 billion (€32.7 billion) into expanding its second-largest airfield, aiming to make it the city's main international airport within the decade, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, announced on Sunday. The project to construct new passenger terminals at the location of Al Maktoum International Airport, located amid desert expanses 45 km (28 miles) from the current one known as DXB. The current main international airport, Dubai International Airport, is the world's busiest for international travel. Some 89.1 million passengers passed through it in 2018, setting a record, but the numbers have dropped significatly during the pandemic. Some 66 million passengers used the airport in 2022. The current air hub cannot be easily expanded, as it is flanked by residential neighborhoods and two major highways. What do we know about the new project? The refurbished Al Maktoum International Airport, which now has two runways, will include five parallel ones, the announcement said. It will have 400 aircraft gates and the capacity to process up to 260 million passengers per year, it added. The new passenger and cargo hub will feature "new aviation technologies," according to the announcement, while an "entire city" is to be built around the site. Computer-rendered images accompanying the announcement featured a curving, white terminal that recalls traditional Bedouin tents of the Arabian Peninsula.  "We are building a new project for future generations, ensuring continuous and stable development for our children and their children in turn," Sheikh Mohammed said in an online statement. "Dubai will be the world's airport, its port, its urban hub and its new global center."

The India Pavilion, one of the largest and most visited pavilions at EXPO2020 Dubai, has crossed 8 lakh footfalls milestone. The Pavilion was inaugurated by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, on October 1 2021 and has so far clocked 8,00,103 visitors as of January 18. In his tweet message, Goyal said that Yet Another Milestone! Footfall at the India Pavilion crosses the 8 Lakh mark. Underlining India's Growth Story, the buzz of India at Dubai Expo continues to captivate people with their rich heritage & ambitious growth opportunities. The India Pavilion is currently hosting the 'Goa' and 'Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises weeks. While the Goa week was inaugurated on January 15, MSME week was inaugurated virtually by Narayan Rane, Union Minister of MSME, yesterday. As part of the Goa week, the state is making a strong pitch to the global investors by showcasing its business capabilities along with its tradition and culture through a series of events exhibiting opportunities across key focus sectors. The state week will also see industry-specific expert sessions, roundtable discussions, B2B & G2G meetings, along with cultural performances by renowned artists and Goan bands. The Ministry of MSME's participation in EXPO2020 will help develop understanding about the MSME ecosystem in India as well as enable interaction with Governments of different countries, business, and industry leaders, which would help in exchange of best practices adopted across the world. The high-profile visitors to the pavilion since its inauguration include Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas & Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Chemicals and Fertilizers, Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, B.S. Yediyurappa, Former Chief Minister of Karnataka, and India's Foreign Secretary, Harsh V Shringla, Dr K. Sivan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) & Secretary, Department of Space, among others. Narayan Rane, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), R.K. Singh, Union Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy, Darshana V Jardosh, Union Minister of State for Textile & Railways, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister of State for MSME and Satish Mahana, Minister for Industrial Development, Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP), along with various other, dignitaries joined virtually. The India Pavilion has made its mark among the 192 participating nations by being recognized as one of the most iconic pavilions at EXPO2020 Dubai by the American Institute of Architects. The Pavilion has also played a key role in showcasing the Indian start-up ecosystem amongst a global audience through initiatives like ‘Elevate’ that aims to display unconventional solutions created by 500 Indian start-ups from across the country. States such as Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and UT of Ladakh among others have successfully showcased their business ecosystem along with rich cultural heritage and sourced investment opportunities from leading global investors. Additionally, sectors such as New and Renewable Energy, Space, Urban and Rural Development, Oil & Gas, Textile, Knowledge and Learning have held respective weeks to highlight the growth and investment opportunities in these areas.   The Pavilion has also hosted various renowned Bollywood celebrities including Deepika Padukone, Janhvi Kapoor, Jaaved Jaaferi; singers such as Salim-Sulaiman, Hariharan, Benny Dayal, Jonita Gandhi; Indian tennis star, Sania Mirza and the famous fashion designer, entrepreneur and filmmaker, Manish Malhotra to name a few. Additionally, the Pavilion has showcased the cultural diversity of the various participating states by displaying their products, hosting cultural performances, etc. Key Indian festivals such as Navratri, Dusshera and Diwali were celebrated with great enthusiasm by both Indian and global visitors. The upcoming weeks at the India Pavilion will witness participation from states such as West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu among others and sectors such as Steel, Healthcare, Information & Broadcasting, Agriculture, Electronics and Information Technology, Energy Conservation, Environment & Sustainability, Tribal Affairs to name a few.   Source: ANI

India’s Tourism Fortnight at EXPO2020 Dubai concluded yesterday with the sector highlighting the country’s core strengths across different areas of tourism including medical, luxury, adventure, sustainability and MICE. Inaugurated on January 3 by Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, the inaugural session highlighted the new policy framework by the Ministry of Tourism and unveiled five missions that will boost growth in the sector. The Tourism Sector Floor at the India Pavilion showcased the various facets highlighting India as a tourism destination and the growth potential across different kinds of tourism. The five missions included were National Green Tourism Mission, to mainstream sustainability in the tourism sector; National Digital Tourism Mission, to digitalise the sector; Sectoral Mission on skill development to ensure that the country has the best trained and qualified manpower to maintain high standards of service; National Mission on Destination Management to focus on ensuring synergy and coordination amongst public and private stakeholders and National Mission on Tourism MSMEs to support and facilitate the start-ups, micro, small and medium enterprises. The inaugural session was also attended by Hoor Al Khaja, Associate Vice President, International Operations – Department of Economy and Tourism of Dubai, where she talked about India’s importance as a global tourist destination. The Tourism Fortnight comprised various sessions which were presided over by representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and various Indian states including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir among others. The session on medical tourism was crucial in highlighting India’s strengths and the ability of the country to offer both modern and traditional systems of medicines, thereby, providing a holistic healing destination across the world. The session on luxury tourism focused on showcasing the changing face of luxury tourism in India, luxury tourist destinations across the country and initiatives taken by the Government to make travel safe and secure. The session on spiritual tourism highlighted the opportunities and potential for India to become a hub for spiritual and religious tourism, as the country offers vast cultural and religious diversity. The session on MICE tourism was also pivotal in showcasing India’s impressive combination of accommodation and conference support facilities that make the country a successful MICE destination globally. As a part of World Majlis event, Off the Beaten Path - Travel in the 21st Century, held on January 13, Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, talked about the ways in which the tourism sector in India is evolving. Given the growing importance of sustainable tourism, the session on sustainable tourism was crucial to address key challenges for the tourism sector and the ways in which the future of tourism can be shaped by sustainable and responsible policies and action by the governments and private sector. The sessions held during the ‘Tourism Fortnight’ were crucial in showcasing India’s geographical diversity, potential as a tourist destination and highlighting India’s roadmap for the sector. Source: The UAE

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has joined the grand opening ceremony of the five-day 16th biennial “Dubai Air Show-2019′ Sunday morning. The air show started at Dubai World Central, Dubai’s airport of the future (also known as Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport). The aircraft will take to the skies over Dubai from 2pm to 5pm every day on November 17-21. It is the largest and most successful air show in the world and the biggest aerospace event in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The premier attended the air show at the invitation of Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. She will later enjoy the flying display in the afternoon at Dubai World Central from 2pm to 5pm local time. This year’s edition sees more than 1,300 exhibitors, 87,000-plus trade visitors and up to 165 aircraft from 160 countries on display. The air show is expected to surpass the feats of Dubai Air Show 2017, which concluded with an order book worth more than $113.8 billion. The Dubai Air Show, which first launched in 1989, has turned into a global platform for the aviation industry to sell its new wares, as the public and private sector meet to discuss new technologies, opportunities, and hurdles facing the industry. UAE airlines are expected to steal the show at the region’s premiere aircraft exhibition by announcing a good number of new orders and confirming their previous deals. Later, the premier will join a dinner to be hosted by Bangladesh Ambassador to the UAE Mohammad Imran in her honor at her Palace of residence, Shangril-La Hotel at Abu Dhabi. The premier arrived in Dubai on Saturday night on a four-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to attend Dubai Air Show-2019 and other programs. The foreign ministry sources said the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Election Commission’s program to start the process of registering migrant Bangladeshis working in the UAE on the voter list and distributing smart NID cards among them on November 18 at the Bangladesh Embassy in Abu Dhabi. Concluding the four-day visit to the UAE, the premier will return home on November 19. Source: BSS AH  

Police have cordoned off a Dubai bound aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines at Shah Amanat International Airport. The aircraft made an emergency landing at the airport in Chattogram after the hijack attempt. Police and RAB have cordoned off the aircraft. One suspected arms holder has made the pilot hostage. There were two crews in the aircraft. All the passengers were taken to safe places. On Sunday afternoon a Dubai bound flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG-147) took off from Dhaka and made an emergency landing at Shah Amanat Airport in Chattogram. Confirming the matter Civil Aviation Secretary Mahibul Haque said, there were one suspected and two crew members. The suspected has arms in his hands. After the incident more some vehicles of RAB entered into the airport. Airport operation is halted. One passenger of the aircraft said, there was firearms in hands of one passenger. The passenger is a foreigner. There was sound of one gunshot. Mahibul Haque said, passengers, flight and first officers came out of the aircraft safely. There are two crews and one suspect. Navy commandoes are taking part in operation to detain the suspect. AH

Camels remain an important part of the Gulf Arab state's heritage. Camel races and camel beauty pageants are a favourite recreation for locals, and some beasts fetch millions of dollars at auctions in the country.   Preserving that heritage is part of the purpose of Dubai Camel Hospital, which cost 40 million dirhams ($10.9 million) and is the first of its kind in the world, said Mohamed Al Bulooshi, the hospital's director. "We found that we must care for camels not only by breeding and raising them, but also by being able to medically treat them," Bulooshi said.