Expo 2020 Dubai’s new dates have been confirmed with the two-thirds threshold being surpassed in a meeting held by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) on Monday.

Expo 2020 Dubai, which retains its name, will now be held from October 1 2021 to March 31, 2022. The Executive Committee, the General Assembly of the BIE, began voting remotely on April 24 and will continue until May 29. However, according to BIE regulations, a two-thirds majority of Member States holding the right to vote is required for the dates of an Expo to be changed and that has already been surpassed.

Reacting to the news, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group, and Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, said: “We welcome the decision of BIE Member States to support the delay of Expo 2020 Dubai by one year. We are thankful to the Member States for their continued commitment to contributing to a World Expo in Dubai that will play a pivotal role in shaping our post-pandemic world at a time when it will be most needed.”

Dubai Media Office released a statement saying, “Expo 2020 Dubai is gearing up to help shape a post-pandemic world and create a better future for all after a two-thirds majority of Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Member States voted in favour of postponing the next World Expo by one year. “The global mega-event will now run from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, a delay that allows all participants to safely navigate the impact of COVID-19. It also allows the World Expo to focus on a collective desire for new thinking to identify solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time.”