DUBAI — Flights from the new Dubai airport will start in October with aviation officials saying that the goal is to make it the world’s busiest airport, News.com.au said on Thursday.



Dubai World Central, about 60 kilometers southwest of the city’s current airport, covers a vast stretch of desert and is envisioned to become the main hub for air travel in Dubai in coming decades, it said, adding that operations have “ramped up slowly” since 2010.



Airport authorities said scheduled passenger flights are to begin on October 27 with Nasair, which flies to various cities in Saudi Arabia, and Wizz Air, a budget airline with connections in Europe.



Dubai International Airport handled more than 56.7 million passengers last year and is now the world’s second-busiest after London’s Heathrow, the news agency said. — SG