Free parking, reduced taxi fare at DWC
dubai — Dubai taxis are slashing their flag down rate by 75 per cent for travellers who will be arriving at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) from April 16 to May 30. From Dh20, the starting fee will be brought down to Dh5, the Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) announced on Sunday.
The move will coincide with the 45-day closure of the southern runway of Dubai International Airport (DXB), due to which part of the DXB flights will be diverted to DWC. During this period, a 700-per-cent surge in passenger traffic is expected in the emirate’s second airport.
The taxi fare discount is the latest in the series of initiatives that were rolled out for passengers who opt to travel via DWC.
Car park, for an instance, is free for all passengers — including travellers who would like to leave their cars at the airport’s parking area for longer periods, a Dubai Airports spokesperson told Khaleej Times.
“Lifting passengers from DWC has become faster and cheaper now. (Besides the discount) we have also introduced a shared taxi service at DWC, which will further reduce the fare for arriving passengers,” said Dr Yousef Mohammed Al Ali, CEO of the DTC.
“As such, it is now possible for more than one passenger to share a taxi with others from DWC to multiple destinations. The step will ease the mobility of passengers, reduce the waiting time, and save expenses. The move is part of the DTC’s commitment to enrich the experience of clients and live up to their expectations.”
Early this year, it was announced that DXB’s southern runway will be closed from April 16 to May 30 for a “complete refurbishment”.
“Although DXB will effectively be without 50 per cent of its runways, the actual reduction in passenger flights will only be 32 per cent, thanks to an optimised schedule that will see the northern runway use up to 96 per cent of its capacity. Due to the deployment of larger aircraft by some airlines during the closure period, the number of seats will only decrease by 26 per cent,” the Dubai Airports said in a previous statement.
If the DWC’s additional capacity is also included, the flight reduction will be just 10 per cent and seat reduction just 11 per cent. In the run-up to the runway closure, the authorities have put in place a host of arrangements to ensure a smooth travel for passengers.
For one, they will be shuttled free of cost between DXB and DWC through express bus services. The RTA will also connect DWC to key locations in Dubai through a regular bus service and dedicated fleet of taxis will be deployed.
In addition, the Dubai Airports has tied up with ride-hailing app Careem, which is set to offer a 25-per-cent discount to passengers travelling to and from DWC.
“The most significant change for passengers during the period will be the need to confirm the airport that they are travelling to or from. That said, we’re confident customers and airlines will be impressed by the efficiency of Dubai’s second airport,” Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said in a previous statement.