Emirates has said it may delay shifting to Dubai’s new Al Maktoum International Airport by up to 10 years. The carrier has confirmed that it is now looking to move to the new facility between 2022 and 2030, instead of between 2018 and 2020 as originally planned.

Emirates has also said it will not move any of its cargo operations from Dubai International Airport (DIA) to Al Maktoum in June this year when a new 250,000 tonne-capacity facility is set to open.

Emirates derives a full 35 per cent of its cargo business revenue from its freighters with the remainder moving in the bellies of its passenger aircraft. A high degree of cargo movement between the bellies and the freighters makes the two inseparable in terms of airport handling.

The final completion date of the US$10 billion Al Maktoum International Airport, which is slated to become the world’s largest, has been extended by several years past the original deadline of 2020.

Emirates will now focus on developing facilities at DIA, which is opening its new US$1.17 billion Concourse 3 to cater for Emirates’ A380s in 2012.