The project aims to boost capacity at Dubai International from 60 million to 90 million passengers per year by 2018.

The plan, which was presented to Sheikh Mohammed at a high-level meeting held at Dubai International recently, is designed to deliver aviation infrastructure which will support the continuation of the sector’s impressive growth, facilitate Dubai’s economic expansion and generate 22 percent of total employment and 32 percent of the emirate’s GDP by 2020.

It responds to a 10-year traffic forecast for Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central (DWC) that projects international passenger and cargo traffic will increase at an average annual growth rate of 7.2 percent and 6.7 percent respectively.

“The combination of rallying tourism, Dubai’s proximity to the emerging economies of India and China, and the emirates’ established role as a trading hub, is together expected to drive traffic growth and further elevate Dubai’s status as a global center for aviation,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Airports and president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.

“By 2020, 98.5 million passengers and over four million tones of air freight will pass through our airports,” he said.

“The fleets and networks of Emirates and flydubai will grow considerably to accommodate traffic and capture market share,” said Sheikh Ahmed.

“Similarly, our infrastructure must expand to enable this growth and facilitate the trade, tourism and commerce that in turn will support the prosperity of Dubai,” he said.

The strategy includes aggressive expansion plans for airspace, airfield, aircraft stands and terminal areas at Dubai International over the remainder of the decade which will optimize investment, deliver timely capacity and create a robust revenue stream, fueled by increased commercial and retail income, which will fund the development of Dubai World Central in the long term.

Paul Griffiths, chief executive officer of Dubai Airports, said Dubai International plans to boost its capacity to 75 million travelers a year by 2012 and to 90 million by 2018. The capacity is only 60 million million travelers per year at present.

Additionally, Dubai Airports will upgrade baggage systems across the airport to accommodate demand over the life of the project.

Plans include the construction of a remote baggage facility and a high-speed baggage link that will support efficient and timely connections.

Cargo capacity will also be augmented with a 30,000sqm expansion of the cargo mega terminal.