Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport will become the world’s largest at five times the size of Dubai Airport with a new planned USD$35 billion (around AUD$53.5 billion) passenger terminal with 400 gates and five parallel runways to accommodate up to 260 million annual travellers.
All operations will be transferred from Dubai Airport (DXB) to Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC) in the coming years as the new home of flagship airline Emirates and low-cost carrier Flydubai along with other airline partners.
Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said the move would solidify “Dubai’s position as a leading aviation hub on the world stage”.
“The announcement of phase two of Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport’s expansion marks the start of a huge investment of resources by our many stakeholders in designing and building a state-of-the-art airport that will provide a quick, convenient and high-quality 21st-century experience for our customers,” he said.
With 100 million-plus annual passengers, he added that DXB will continue as the primary aviation hub over the next few years as DWC’s new terminal takes shape.
Dubai’s Airport of the Future project
Dubai’s ruler Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved the design plans for the ‘Airport of the Future’, which will cover 70sqkm in area and have the capacity for 260 million-plus passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo annually.
Phase one of the project is expected to be ready within 10 years and accommodate 150 million passengers each year.
He announced the emirate will also build “an entire city around the airport in Dubai South” to host the world’s leading air transport and logistics companies while aligning with the UAE’s vision for a sustainably built environment.
“Dubai will be the world’s airport, its port, its urban hub, and its new global centre,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
Dubai International Airport is fully operational again after recent floods inundated the emirate, causing air transport chaos.
