Newsletter Subscribe MENU September 29, 2020 Grand Petroleum Did you know these 7 things about Dubai Airport? Did you know these 7 things about Dubai Airport? The Dubai International Airport (popularly known as DXB) is one of the world’s leading international airports. Anyone who has traveled through the airport can confidently vouch for the same. It has a massive Duty Free selling top brands, a luxurious Airport Hotel, sleeping pods, world-class lounges, and much more for travelers to explore. But it’s more than just that. There are a lot of exciting facts about Dubai International Airport that are not known to many. So here are some of the unique Dubai Airport facts that will make you long for your next travel plan through this airport. 1. Why is Dubai International Airport abbreviated to DXB? #DXB is the IATA code of Dubai International Airport and people often use IATA airport codes as unique identifiers for major cities. So how did it get this IATA code? Although Dubai starts with the letters D-U-B, the code for Dubai is not DUB because it is already taken by the Dublin Airport! Hence Dubai = DXB. The “X” in D-X-B is just a variable in-place of the U. 2. Dubai Airport is 60 years old… The Dubai Airport opened on 30 September 1960 with a small terminal building and a dirt runway that could only handle an airplane with a capacity of 21 to 32 passengers. In the start, the tiny airport was primarily used as a refueling station but was later renovated with an asphalt runway and other facilities. By the 1970s, Dubai Airport was completely refurbished to welcome international passengers from around the world. Today, Dubai Airport has over 70 airlines operating to over 220 airports in 214 cities across 94 countries around the world. 3. The airport is the size of 297 football fields Put together all the three terminals and concourses, and the total area of the Dubai Airport is 2,122,474 sq. m, which is comparable to 297 football fields! Currently, the airport in Dubai has the ability to manage 90 million passengers every year and there are plans underway to increase passenger traffic at Dubai Airport to more than 118 million by 2023. The aim is to increase the passenger capacity to 120 million passengers by 2025 at both the Dubai Airport and Al Maktoum Airport. 4. Dubai Airport has its own 5* hotel inside its building! Whether exhausted from a long flight and looking for a snooze or just looking to burn off all the wine you indulged in on your last flight, you can do it all at the Airport Hotel. The hotel boasts of luxury amenities that consist of a swimming pool, steam/sauna rooms, gym, restaurants, and conference rooms. Also, located in Terminal 1 & 3, are tiny rooms in the Snooze Cube hotel for the more adventurous travelers. For a reasonable amount (USD 16.00) you get access to free Wi-Fi, a touchscreen TV, and a place to sleep. 5. The airport has its own indoor ZEN garden Apart from being a terminal dedicated to A380 airplanes, Terminal 3 has an enormous garden called the Zen Garden! With lush trees, a fish pond and loads of benches, where you can sit back and relax while you wait for your flight, the ZEN garden is truly an escape from the hustle & bustle of this busy airport. The ZEN garden even has play areas for kids, to keep them entertained. If you happen to be travelling through Terminal 3 in the Dubai Airport, make sure to visit the Garden; it’s a beautiful sight for sore eyes! Nothing like getting some rest and relaxing in a natural environment before your connection flight. The Dubai Airport Zen Garden is located near Gates B7 and B27 in Terminal 3. 6. Dubai International Airport has a whole concourse dedicated for A380 aircrafts With Dubai’s national carrier being the largest operator of the #A380 in the world, it is no surprise that Dubai Airport has an entire concourse, known as Concourse A, dedicated to the arrivals and departures of all Emirates Airlines A380 aircrafts’ (they own a whopping 117 of them!!). The concourse also serves Qantas, following the Australian carrier’s partnership with Emirates. A part of Terminal 3, Concourse A was opened on 2 January 2013 and spans an area of 528,000 sq. m., which is comparable to the size of 94 football fields. According to the Dubai International Airport facts sheet, Concourse A handled 22.9 million pieces of baggage and 50,000 flights serving 14.6 million passengers, in the first year itself. 7. It is one of the fastest growing aviation hubs in the world The formation of Dubai International Airport has contributed enormously to the development of the city by connecting Dubai to the rest of the world. Today, Dubai is a renowned destination for tourism, trade and finance which is why people from across the globe choose to come visit the city. In fact, it’s so popular that since 2014, Dubai Airport has held on to the title of the busiest airport in the world (in terms of international passenger traffic), welcoming 89.1 million international passengers in 2019. Those were our picks of the top Dubai Airport facts. If you know of any exciting facts about Dubai Airport that we haven’t mentioned, let us know in the comments below. Contact #GrandPetroleum for your next trip to #Dubai, we can arrange for all services from flight planning to the landing permits to your hotel bookings. Please refer to our service’s tab on the website for further information on the services we provide. Author: Nikita N Bhatia Read More September 29, 2020 Grand Petroleum Interesting and Fun Aviation Facts Interesting and Fun Aviation Facts The world is filled with airline and aviation enthusiasts, more popularly known as #avgeeks. Their passion for aviation is usually beyond borders and they can never get enough of learning about this dynamic industry. So to all the avgeeks out there, here are some cool and quirky aviation facts that may surprise even the biggest aviation buff, and help with any future aviation trivia. Did you know… 1. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the world’s oldest airline, established in 1919; while Qantas is the world’s second oldest airline, established in 1920. 2. The wing-span of the A380 is longer than the aircraft itself. Wingspan is 80m, the length is 72.7m. 3. The strobe lights on the wingtips of an Airbus flash twice, on a Boeing – once. So the next time you see an airplane in the sky, you can tell the make just by the wingtip strobe lights!! 4. About 1/3 of your taste buds are numbed while flying and act differently due to pressure changes, which is why airlines have to be careful with the food they give you. For example, you can’t taste salty things that well. Maybe that meal was not bland after all? 5. Passengers account only for about 10% of the plane’s take-off weight. Fuel takes the biggest part. 6. Pilots and co-pilots are required to eat different meals in case of food poisoning. 7. 5% of the world’s population has never been on a flight. That means 7,410,000,000 people have never boarded an aircraft!! Think about that aviation growth potential… 8. In 1987, American Airlines saved $40,000 annually by removing one olive from their first-class salads. 9. The reason why airlines dim the cabin light during a night flight isn’t solely about letting passengers sleep better. It creates a safer environment by making the emergency exits easier for passengers to locate while also allowing passengers to adjust their vision incase an emergency occurs. #SafetyFirst 10. The tray table is the filthiest place on an airplane. The bacteria levels found on tray tables is three times higher than levels on a toilet flush button. #WipeThatTable I hope you enjoyed these quirky aviation facts, please share with us your interesting facts about the #aviationindustry in the comments below. Author: Nikita N Bhatia Read More September 29, 2020 Grand Petroleum Flight Planning – Why is it important? & What are its benefits? Flight Planning – Why is it important? & What are its benefits? Flying an aircraft is not as simple as driving a car, you need to be completely prepared and know the route that you are taking. It is crucial that all flights have an organized and well-structured flight plan, which will not only maximize the safety of those on board but also minimize costs where necessary. Aviation flight planning comprises of a lot of different elements. From fuel calculation to weather conditions to checking if all the routing restrictions are met, the flight planning process takes care of it all. A take-off can only be initiated once the operator is sure that the flight planning process is complete. In this blog post, we aim to tackle questions about aviation flight planning and how assistance from a trip support company makes it all easy for operators. What is flight planning? Flight planning, crucial for both domestic and international flights, is producing an operational flight plan for an aircraft operating from point A to B. The ultimate goal of flight planning is to create a unique plan for the safest flight on a particular day and for a particular aircraft. As conditions are never the same for any flight, the calculations must always be tailored to the flight in question. Flight planning involves two main things. First is the fuel calculation, through which it is ensured that the aircraft reaches its destination safely. And secondly, it is to ensure that the flight meets all the routing restrictions between point A and B. Who can make a flight plan? Most countries aviation authorities have made it mandatory for a person to obtain a Flight Dispatcher License to be able to generate flight plans. Obtaining the license involves rigorous knowledge testing on the subject. Grand Petroleum operations team consists of employees that are certified Flight Dispatchers, so rest assured your flight planning will be in good hands. How does a Flight Dispatcher minimize the overall cost of the flight? A good Flight Dispatcher helps to minimize the cost by selecting the best route according to the height and speed of the aircraft. The Flight Dispatcher will plan the route that enables the minimum necessary aviation fuel on board. Why is a flight plan important? 1. Safety of the flight For aviation flight planning, the primary goal is always safety. We use technologies to ensure maximum safety for the passengers and crew on board the aircraft. The Flight Dispatcher checks the NOTAMs, for both the arrival and departure airports, and also for the regions where the aircraft will overfly. Air Traffic Services also make use of the final flight plan for air traffic management services, like flight tracking and finding aircrafts during search and rescue missions. 2. Cost-efficient flight plan A skilled Flight Dispatcher will try to limit the hazards and try to minimize the fuel consumption, to avoid unnecessary expenses. Using a flight planning software, our experienced staff generate flight plans making the flight both time-efficient and cost-efficient. 3. Compliance of Regulations When planning a flight from point A to B, it is important to make sure that you follow the regulations for all territories that you will be departing from, arriving at, and overflying during the journey. This could include obtaining PPR, overfly permits, landing permits or even abiding by recently added Covid-19 restrictions by various countries. A trip support company’s assistance is always useful in making sure that all latest rules and regulations are followed by the operator. Flight Planning Services To ensure that all the factors are taken into consideration for flight planning, it is always important to work with an experienced flight support company like Grand Petroleum. At Grand Petroleum, we consider all factors including aircraft performance data, fuel burn estimates, routing restrictions, and airport data to make the most fuel efficient & cost-effective flight plan for your journey. Grand Petroleum Flight Planning services includes- Route planning Computerized flight plans ATC flight plan filing Flight tracking Runway analysis NOTAMs Weather briefings Hope we covered all your doubts about Flight Plans. For any more queries, feel free to contact us on ops@www.grand-petroleum.com or leave a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest. Looking for flight planning assistance for you next trip? Contact #GrandPetroleum for all you flight planning and trip support needs. Author: Nikita N Bhatia Read More Subscribe to Our Newsletter: Subscribe Grand Petroleum is among the world's leading independent energy trading companies, with consolidated experience in Trading, Fueling and Aviation trip support services. Since our launch in 2008, we have become one of the most active aviation fuel service providers worldwide and are constantly evolving in order to meet new challenges while developing our personnel to ensure a competitive edge. 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