Qantas today welcomed the news that the United Arab Emirates has been successful in its bid to host the Expo 2020 in Dubai.

Qantas looks forward to supporting the UAE with the significant impact that Expo 2020 will have on traffic growth through Dubai, both in the lead up to and during the event.

Qantas Middle East & North Africa Regional General Manager Rohan Garnett said Expo 2020 would be a great opportunity to promote the UAE as a both a business and travel hub.

“Qantas congratulates the UAE on their winning bid to host Expo 2020. It is testament to their ongoing commitment to develop the region for economic development and trade,” said Mr Garnett.

“This win is a huge milestone for the country and will it act as a catalyst for global collaboration across a number of sectors including aviation. As an international airline with a strong partnership with Emirates, Qantas is pleased to carry visitors to the region and promote destination Dubai to the world.”

Qantas operates four A380 services into Dubai International Airport from London and Australia each day, connecting passengers to the UAE from the UK and Europe and Australasia.

Dubai International Airport is currently ranked the second busiest airport in the world in terms of international passengers according to Airports Council International and numbers are projected to reach 65.4 million this year and 98 million by 2020. For the year to date, passenger numbers are up 16 per cent with Australia recording the largest growth in September with a 41.7 per cent increase, attributed to Emirates expansion and Qantas’ new services to the region.