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Dubai: Emirates wants to see a dedicated corridor between the present Dubai International Airport and the future mega airport in Jebel Ali to ensure that cargo and passenger movements take place as quickly as possible.
Ram Menen, Emirates divisional senior vice-president for cargo, said the airline will be satisfied with a transit time of 45 minutes.
"It has to be an exclusive, bonded and secure road," he told Gulf News.
Dubai's land transport authorities have talked about building that road but progress appears to have stalled.
"There are some challenges with that," Menen said, without being specific.
Such a road will allow Emirates to operate out of the existing Dubai city base, while ensuring a smooth flow of people and goods.
The airline has not yet decided what kind of presence it will have at Dubai World Central, the upcoming aviation and logistic hub.
Menen said Emirates will have both passenger and cargo operations from one airport only.
If the airline remains at the existing airport, it will have "offline operations" for customers who will be using Dubai World Central International Airport (JXB).
With a passenger capacity of 120 million a year, the new airport will be 10 times the size of Dubai International Airport and Cargo Village. JXB will be linked to the existing airport via an express rail system and will be serviced by the Dubai Metro network.
A rail link for moving cargo is not a good option because it will add "more processes," said Menen.
The airline carried 1.16 million tonnes of cargo between April 2006 and March 2007.
Emirates SkyCargo is looking for a growth of about 20 per cent per year in the next few years. But rising oil prices could prove to be a "wild card" and slow down the momentum.
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