Al Maktoum Airport in Dubai to expand with $35bn terminal
▶ Dubai’s second airport will have capacity for 260 million passengers
Dubai has approved designs for a new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, costing Dh128 billion ($34.8 billion).
Once complete, the airport will have “the world’s largest capacity”, up to 260 million passengers, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said.
The airport will cover an area of 70 square kilometres and will have 400 aircraft gates, five parallel runways and state-of-the-art aviation technology. Its cargo capacity will be 12 million tonnes a year.
The first phase is expected to be completed within 10 years and will have a capacity of 150 million passengers a year.
The airport will be linked to Dubai Metro, bus and city air transport services.
“As we build an entire city around the airport in Dubai South, demand for housing for a million people will follow. It will host the world’s leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors,” Sheikh Mohammed said in a social media post.
“We are building a new project for future generations … Dubai will be the world’s airport, its port, its urban hub and its new global centre.”
The new airport will generate an estimated workforce and residential requirement for more than one million people living and working in Dubai South, which has been under development since 2007.
Dubai’s aviation industry has recovered strongly from the effects of the pandemic and was one of the first to reopen to international flights.
Dubai International Airport handled 86.9 million passengers last year, up 31.7 per cent year on year, and held its position as the world’s busiest passenger airport for the 10th year in a row, Airports Council International reported earlier this month.
“DXB will continue to serve as the primary hub, meeting the needs of 100 million-plus guests over the next few years as phase two of DWC [Dubai World Central] takes shape,” Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, said yesterday.
Dubai has approved designs for a new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport and began construction at a cost of Dh128 billion ($35 billion) as the emirate boosts airport capacity to meet growing travel demand.
Once complete, Al Maktoum International Airport will have “the world’s largest capacity”, reaching up to 260 million passengers, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said on X yesterday.
It will be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport (DXB), which is ranked the top globally for international passenger traffic.
It will “fully absorb Dubai International Airport’s operations in 10 years”, Dubai Media Office said.
The airport, spread across 70 square kilometres, will feature 400 aircraft gates, five parallel runways, and new aviation technology. It will have the capacity to handle 12 million tonnes of cargo annually.
The first phase of the project is expected to be ready within 10 years, with a capacity to accommodate 150 million passengers annually.
It will offer public transport links including to the metro, bus and city air transport.
“As we build an entire city around the airport in Dubai South, demand for housing for a million people will follow. It will host the world’s leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
“We are building a new project for future generations … Dubai will be the world’s airport, its port, its urban hub, and its new global centre.”
Dubai’s aviation sector has made a strong rebound from the pandemic-induced slowdown. DXB, which handled 86.9 million passengers last year, a growth of 31.7 per cent annually, retained its spot as the world’s busiest international hub for passengers for a 10th consecutive year, data by the Airports Council International this month showed.
The airport recorded a total of 416,405 flight movements in 2023, the highest at DXB, and is connected to more than 260 destinations through more than 100 international airlines.
This year, the airport expects to receive 88.8 million passengers, close to its previous record of 89.1 million in 2018.
DXB expects its annual passenger traffic to reach 93.8 million next year and “hopefully we’ll get to the magic 100 million number not long after”, Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, told The National in February.
The boom in traffic comes amid rising travel demand despite inflationary pressures, concerns about economic headwinds and risks stemming from geopolitical tension.
Dubai reported its best annual tourism performance last year, when international arrivals to the emirate increased 19.4 per cent to 17.15 million. This exceeded the 16.73 million visitors in 2019, according to Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, said the new airport will prepare the ground for the next 40 years of anticipated growth in Dubai’s aviation sector.
“It will respond to the hub airline ambitious plans in terms of fleet acquisition and passenger growth,” said Sheikh Ahmed, who is also chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group.
The airport is also being designed to “strongly contribute to mitigate environmental emissions” and aims to achieve LEED gold certification, he said.
“Al Maktoum International is planned in such a way as to represent a leap into the future.”