Digital rendering of the planned entrance to Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport, which will be the world’s largest upon completion.
Dubai Media Office
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Dubai’s leadership has approved a 128 billion dirham ($35 billion) plan to build a new passenger terminal at the emirate’s Al Maktoum International Airport, which will make it five times the size of its main international airport. Dubai in terms of size — and the largest in the world.
“Al Maktoum International Airport will have the largest capacity in the world, reaching up to 260 million passengers,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and prime minister of the UAE, said in a statement on Sunday.
For reference, Dubai International Airport in 2023 served 86.9 million passengers, the second highest in the world after Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the US
All operations at Dubai International Airport, the world’s second-busiest airport by passenger traffic, will be transferred to it in the coming years, the statement said, adding that the new airport will have 400 aircraft gates and five parallel runways. “New aviation technologies will be used for the first time in the aviation sector,” he added.
Dubai’s media office shared digital renderings of the planned airport, which showed futuristic images of sprawling airport infrastructure, massive terminals and space-age-like designs.
The airport will be located in Dubai South, at the southern end of the UAE’s glittering commercial capital, where real estate and logistics development is underway. A whole new city will be built around the airport, which according to the ruler of Dubai will create demand for housing for one million people.
Dubai’s current main international airport is located at the northern tip of the emirate, meaning a potentially dramatic change in traffic patterns and transport plans for travelers once the new travel hub is fully operational.
The new city around the airport “will host the world’s leading companies in the fields of logistics and air transport,” Sheikh Maktoum said. “We are building a new project for future generations, ensuring continuous and stable growth for our children and their children in turn. Dubai will be the world’s airport, its port, its urban hub and the new global center of.”
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, CEO of Dubai’s flagship Emirates Airline, posted on X photos of himself with the ruler of Dubai reviewing plans for the new developments.
“Al Maktoum International will be the new home of @emirates, @flydubai and all the airlines connecting the world to and from Dubai,” he wrote, referring to Emirates Airline and its low-cost subsidiary FlyDubai.
“We are investing to deliver the best future travel experiences, the best logistics capabilities in the world and contribute to Dubai’s D33 economic agenda.”
Digital rendering of the planned exterior of Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport, which will be the world’s largest upon completion.
Dubai Media Office
Digital rendering of Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport’s planned baggage claim area, which will be the world’s largest upon completion.
Dubai Media Office
Dubai’s D33 agenda aims to double the size of the city’s economy by 2033, attracting more investment, talent and economic diversification.
Al Maktoum International Airport, also called Dubai World Central (DWC), is set to cover 27 square miles when completed. In addition to the projected capacity of 260 million passengers per year, it also aims to have a capacity of 12 million tons of cargo per year.
The “first phase” of the project is expected to be ready within 10 years, with a capacity to accommodate 150 million passengers a year, Emirates’ CEO said.