UAE airports
As in most countries of the world, the UAE airports are a business card that introduces a foreigner to the country from the very first steps on the territory of the country. There are 8 airports in the Emirates, among which only one does not serve civil aviation. Of course, the model in the country is Dubai International Airport, which began to be built more than half a century ago, but the work was finally completed only in 2009. This is not due to the fact that local builders have been harnessing for a long time, but with the constant modernization and expansion of the originally conceived solutions. Thanks to all its advantages, Dubai Airport has become the largest transport hub that connects the Middle East with different parts of the world - in the pre-pandemic time, it served about 150 airlines and 60 million passengers annually, provides flights from 220 cities located on 6 continents, as a result of which it became the world's largest airport.
At the same time, it is worth noting the architectural grandeur and aesthetic harmony of the project, especially with regard to Terminal No. 3, which by most of its characteristics can compete with first-class hotels of world chains, it is surrounded by greenery, there is a hotel, many exclusive restaurants, spa centers, a Duty Free shopping area and much more. From the airport to the center of Dubai is only 5 km, which can be overcome both by transfer from Emirates Airlines and by buses, by taxi ($8) or by yourself by renting a car (about $ 30 per day).
The UAE leadership decided not to stop there and in 2010 another airport was opened in Dubai - Al Maktoum, which received its name in honor of one of the ruling sheikhs of the emirate. It was planned that after the completion of all phases of construction, its capacity will be 160 million passengers annually, but so far there is only one runway out of five planned. This transport hub for aircraft is located in the Dubai Word Central area.
Abu Dhabi International Airport is recognized as the second largest in the country, it is located 32 km from the city center and is considered the best in the Middle East in terms of service. It serves about 50 airlines and connects flights from 85 cities around the world. It is here that Etihad Airways is based, which organizes a free shuttle to the city center, while a taxi will cost $ 20. Also in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is the city of Al Ain, where many come to visit historical museums, parks, gardens and recreation areas. There is a local airport that has an international status and can serve several thousand passengers weekly.
Sharjah International Airport – the airport, located 15 km from the city of Sharjah, is interesting because it is relatively close to other emirates such as Fujairah, Umm Al Kuwait, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah, thanks to which it it is always in demand and there are about ten well-known airlines operating flights on its territory, including to Russia. You can get to the center of Sharjah by bus, a taxi to the city center will cost $ 10, and if you need to get to Dubai, it will be $ 30.
Ras al Khaimah Airport, which is located 18 km from the city of the same name, usually has 2 terminals open, which provide work for 15,000 passengers on 700 flights a month, but it is planned that it will be expanded due to the fact that many choose the coast of this region to spend their holidays or shopping resort real estate. And the last airport for civil flights is Fujairah (Fujairah). It is located 3 km from the capital of the emirate of the same name, it is the only air hub on the eastern coast of the Emirates.
UAE Trains
There is no railway connection in the UAE in a classic form, but in the near future it is planned to launch a Hyperloop vacuum train that will reduce the one-and-a-half-hour trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi to 12 minutes. Starting in 2019, the UAE has started the construction of a Hyperloop train line, which will be able to reach speeds of up to 1200 km/h. It is assumed that in the future such vacuum trains will run between the emirates. If successful at the national level, it is expected that this will be the beginning of an expanded network that will connect cities throughout the Middle East region, including Kuwait City, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Muscat in Oman.
At the same time, the Arabs do not stop at the ground rail service. A couple of years ago, the concept of a high-speed train was presented, which will be able to transport passengers from Fujairah to Mumbai in India in just two hours with an average speed of about 1000 km./h. This will be possible thanks to the construction of a tunnel in the Arabian Sea.
Dubai Metro
Today, Dubai has a metro (the first in the Arabian Peninsula), known all over the world due to the fact that electric trains operate in fully automatic mode without drivers.Today there are two lines operating here, where all stations are safe for passengers - the platforms are completely separated from the tracks by transparent walls with automatic doors.
Each train has three options for travel:
- «golden» class, where it is sparsely populated and there are seats, and if the train goes in the direction of Jebel Ali Harbor, then such passengers have the opportunity to survey the landscape as a driver in ordinary trains;
- women's and children's half of the car, where everyone who is less than 90 cm tall has the right to ride for free;
- the usual places, the number of which is 80%.
The cost of the trip depends on the distance of the trip and the number of crossed zones. - the maximum cost of one trip in a regular car will cost about $ 2. In the metro, smart cards are used as tickets, the account on which can be replenished either in payment machines or through cash desks.
There are 4 types of payment cards:
- red (convenient only for those who want, for example, to ride for fun),
- blue, silver (replenished, give the right to travel in regular class cars, the only difference is that one of them is nominal, and the second is ordinary)
- gold (replenished, gives the right to travel in a carriage of the same class).
There is a bus stop near every Dubai Metro station where you can take a bus that circulates around the nearby area. The trip will be free if the passenger has just left the subway and attached the same card. It is forbidden to eat and drink in the Dubai metro - both on trains and at stations, it is forbidden to chew gum, as well as sleep, smoke, transport animals, bicycles and alcoholic beverages, as well as a fine for inappropriate use of an emergency escalator stop. Violators of the rules will have to pay a fine of $ 30 to $ 550.
UAE buses
The rules of travel operating in the Dubai metro also apply to buses throughout the country. Inside each emirate, travel is paid at the entrance to the bus with a transport card that acts as an electronic wallet: in Dubai it is NOL, in Abu Dhabi it is Hafilat, in Sharjah it is Sayer. They can be purchased at vending machines, ticket kiosks, shops and from the driver. The price of the trip will depend on the distance that the machine will automatically determine when the passenger will get off the bus by attaching his card to the validator. If this is not done, then the next time the map is used, the system will decide that this is the end of the previous route. There is also a calendar travel option, for example, in Dubai, the cost of a day trip will cost $ 5.5.
Taxi is very popular among the local population, as well as the use of personal vehicles. Taxi activity in Dubai is controlled by RTA (Road&Transport Authority) – this organization manages all transport in the emirate, including buses,trams and metro, as well as monitors the roads and issues a driver's license. The cost of 1 km by taxi is about $ 0.5, and boarding will be from 5 dirhams ($ 1.36), while the minimum cost of the trip should be at least 12 dirhams ($3.3).
Moving between Emirates
Intercity bus service is very popular in the UAE, but when you need to get from a neighboring emirate to another, for example, from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, the local population often uses a taxi, depending on the specific area of departure and arrival, the cost of the trip will be from 200 to 300 dirhams (55-80 dollars), and the travel time is from 1 to 2 hours, but it depends a lot on traffic jams. A more budget option is to get by bus, which will be quite a comfortable solution, because in the UAE they are all equipped with air conditioning, and each chair has a USB connector for charging smartphones and tablets and free wi-fi. The popularity of buses is very high – only one of the Dubai-Abu Dhabi routes (pass through both cities through and through) has 122 flights per day. The price of the trip will be 25 dirhams (about $ 7), the travel time is 1.5 hours. It is also possible to get to other emirates and back from Dubai, but the number of buses will depend on the popularity of the region among tourists.
UAE transport and coronavirus
Of course, the coronavirus pandemic has made its own adjustments to international flights connecting the UAE with other countries, but there is a gradual process of revival. In September, the gradual restoration of air communication between Russia and the CIS countries with the UAE began, when flights to Dubai resumed from the capitals. It became the only one of the seven emirates of the UAE that opened air harbors to receive international tourists from July 7, 2020. To enter Dubai, Russian tourists will need to comply with a number of conditions. In particular, it is necessary to present a certificate with a negative result of the PCR trust for COVID-19, issued no more than 96 hours before departure, and upon arrival at the airport) the passenger must be retested. In addition, insurance is required to cover treatment against coronavirus.
Now movement between the emirates of the UAE is allowed, you can travel everywhere, but mostly by private transport or taxi. The Dubai-Ajman, Dubai-Sharjah and Dubai-Ras al Khaimah routes operate from public buses between the emirates, and the rest of the buses are temporarily not running. It is also important to know that now, when traveling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, you will need to take a COVID-19 test, but entry to other emirates is free.
Thank you for your help in preparing the material:
Oleg Nasyrin, Head of the company's directionNazarov & Partners
Victoria Shabalina, Director of the companyAX Capital