New $35 billion terminal to ‘fully absorb Dubai International Airport’s operations’

Al Maktoum International Airport is set to host the world’s largest number of passengers as authorities in Dubai on Sunday gave their consent to add another passenger terminal at the airport to be built at a whopping $34.8 billion.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, vice president and ruler of Dubai, told X that the airport’s passenger capacity will reach 260 million.

“It will fully absorb the operations of Dubai International Airport in 10 years,” the Dubai Media Office said.

“As we build an entire city around the airport in Dubai South, demand for housing for one million people will follow. It will host the world’s leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors,” said Sheikh Mohammed.

“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 center.”

According to National News agency, “it will be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport, which is ranked number one for international traffic.”

The 70 square kilometer airport will have 400 aircraft gates, five parallel runways and new aviation technology, alongside the capacity to handle 12 million tonnes of annual cargo, the news agency said.

The completion of the project is divided into phases and the first is expected to be completed within 10 years, which could allow the facility to accommodate 150 million passengers annually.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Said, chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and chairman of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, said: “The new airport, which will eventually be more than five times the size of Dubai International, will pave the way for the next 40 years of anticipated growth in Dubai’s aviation sector.”

Sheikh Ahmed, who is also the chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, noted: “It will meet the hub airline’s ambitious plans for fleet acquisition and passenger growth.”

“The airport is also designed to contribute strongly to mitigating environmental emissions and aims to achieve LEED Gold certification,” he said, adding that “Al Maktoum International is designed in such a way that it represents a leap into the future.”

Dubai International Airport (DXB) last year had 86.9 million passengers which is a significant increase of 31.7% year-on-year. The total number of flight movements was estimated at 416,405 in 2023.