As many as 86.9 million passengers were handled by Dubai International Airport last year in 2024, making it the world’s busiest international hub for the tenth year running. Lakhs of people are traveling to the emirate, and tourism is flourishing there, with as many as 17.15 million international arrivals in 2024 alone—the best-ever annual tourism performance, as per Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.
Dubai, as part of its economic agenda D33, is planning to increase the figures and wants to attract Dh100 billion in tourism investments. But the major obstacle in this plan is Dubai International Airport itself, as its options for expansion are limited.
The response involves a significant overhaul of Dubai’s airport facilities, featuring a major expansion of located outside the city to take the place of DXB. Here are the details regarding the recently unveiled plans for the world’s most costly airport.
Location of Dubai’s New Airport
Dubai is planning of a massive expansion of the existing Al Maktoum Airport, located 20 miles away in southwest of the city. The airport which is opened for public in 2010, was originally built only for cargo flights. However, in 2022, the Al Maktoum Airport received about 877,400 commercial passengers.
How Big Is Al Maktoum International Airport?
Upon completion, the upcoming “airport city” will exceed Dubai International Airport (DXB) in size by more than five times. For context, DXB is currently recognized as the leading global hub for international passenger traffic, making the scale of the new development impressive. The new Dubai airport will cover an area of 70 square kilometers and feature 400 aircraft gates along with five parallel runways, incorporating advanced technology to enhance operational efficiency. It is expected that the facility will manage an annual cargo volume of 12 million tonnes.
Expected Cost Of Dubai’s New Airport Cost
Construction has commenced on the new Dubai airport, which has an estimated cost of Dh128 billion (USD34.8 billion). This figure positions it as the most expensive airport in the world.
Impact on The City?
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tweeted that the building of an “entire city” around the Dubai’s new airport will lead to employment and housing for up to one million people. “It will host the world’s leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors,” he 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.”
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