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Dubai Announces Start of Construction on World’s Largest Airport
Dubai’s ruler and Prime Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, today made a big announcement on social media platform X, declaring his approval of new passenger terminals at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), situated about 28 miles outside of Dubai. Construction is set to begin immediately.
In fact, he intends for this secondary airfield to take over all operations from the emirate’s bustling Dubai International Airport (DXB) "within the next 10 years", according to The Sun. DXB is currently the world’s busiest airport when measured by international passenger traffic.
Upon completion, the newly expanded Al Maktoum International Airport will be the largest of any airport on the planet, measuring five times the size of DXB and boasting a capacity of up to 260 million passengers annually. At a projected cost of 128 billion AED ($34.85 billion), the 27-square-mile airport will feature five parallel runways—besting DXB’s two—a whopping 400 aircraft gates. “New aviation technologies will be employed for the first time in the aviation sector,” Dubai’s ruler disclosed.
President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and CEO of Emirates Airlines, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said, "The initial phase of the project will be completed within a decade, with a capacity to serve 150 million passengers annually."
The reason DWC has been selected for this honor is that DXB, which saw 86.9 million passengers in 2023, cannot be expanded due to its city-central position, being surrounded by residential neighborhoods and two major highways.
DWC, on the other hand, which initially opened in 2010, sits on the outskirts of Dubai and is currently surrounded mainly by empty desert—the perfect setting for such a major expansion project.
The area won’t remain vacant for long, though, as plans have also been drawn up for an “airport city” adjacent to DWC that will house a million people. “It will host the world's leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors,” Sheikh al Maktoum asserted.
According to Business Today, Emirates Airlines’ CEO also divulged that once fully operational, DWC will become the new hub for the UAE’s flagship carrier, low-cost carrier Flydubai and their partner airlines—making it the epicenter for global connections in the region.
In fact, he intends for this secondary airfield to take over all operations from the emirate’s bustling Dubai International Airport (DXB) "within the next 10 years", according to The Sun. DXB is currently the world’s busiest airport when measured by international passenger traffic.
Upon completion, the newly expanded Al Maktoum International Airport will be the largest of any airport on the planet, measuring five times the size of DXB and boasting a capacity of up to 260 million passengers annually. At a projected cost of 128 billion AED ($34.85 billion), the 27-square-mile airport will feature five parallel runways—besting DXB’s two—a whopping 400 aircraft gates. “New aviation technologies will be employed for the first time in the aviation sector,” Dubai’s ruler disclosed.
President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and CEO of Emirates Airlines, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said, "The initial phase of the project will be completed within a decade, with a capacity to serve 150 million passengers annually."
The reason DWC has been selected for this honor is that DXB, which saw 86.9 million passengers in 2023, cannot be expanded due to its city-central position, being surrounded by residential neighborhoods and two major highways.
DWC, on the other hand, which initially opened in 2010, sits on the outskirts of Dubai and is currently surrounded mainly by empty desert—the perfect setting for such a major expansion project.
The area won’t remain vacant for long, though, as plans have also been drawn up for an “airport city” adjacent to DWC that will house a million people. “It will host the world's leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors,” Sheikh al Maktoum asserted.
According to Business Today, Emirates Airlines’ CEO also divulged that once fully operational, DWC will become the new hub for the UAE’s flagship carrier, low-cost carrier Flydubai and their partner airlines—making it the epicenter for global connections in the region.
Source: Travel Pulse
