Dubai Airports has confirmed plans to close Dubai International’s (DXB) northern runway for a 45-day period from May 9.

The closure will enable the airport operator to carry out complete refurbishment that will ensure continued safety and efficient operations, it said.

While regular runway maintenance is scheduled on a weekly basis, more extensive upgrades such as that planned require a complete closure of the runway. The last time this level of work was carried out on the northern runway was in 2014, while the southern runway underwent similar improvements in 2019.

As DXB is a dual runway operation, the hub will continue to welcome passengers throughout this period. A number of flights will however be redirected to Dubai World Central (DWC), Dubai’s second airport, to limit the impact on service during the closure period. Dubai Airports has provided advance notice to all airlines to plan for flight reductions and schedule planning accordingly.