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The design plan for the USD 35 bn new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport earned the green light from Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, kicking off the process of construction on the airport expansion, the ruler of Dubai said on X. No details were given about the construction timeline.
The expanded airport is set to be the world’s largest, hosting over 260 mn passengers, handling 12 mn tons of annual cargo, accommodating around 400 aircraft gates, and featuring five parallel runways. It will be five times larger than Dubai International Airport (DXB), with plans to transfer all operations from DXB within 10 years, according to Al Maktoum.
Al Maktoum International Airport — also known as Dubai World Central — will become the main hub for Emirates, Flydubai, and other airline partners, Reuters quotes Emirates Chair Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum as saying. The country’s flagship carrier has been pushing for the expansion of the airport to support its growth plans and fleet expansion, Bloomberg reports.
Things are moving forward after being on hold for five years: Construction was halted in 2019 due to economic headwinds amid low oil prices, tapered growth, and stagnant tourism, Bloomberg reported previously. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, firms competing for USD 2.7 bn contracts to develop the airport structure were put on hold, Meed reported previously. Work on the airport was expected to resume in 2030.
REMEMBER- Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport rose 31.7% y-o-y to 87 mn passengers in 2023, marking a recovery to pre-pandemic levels. Traffic is set to grow to 88.8 mn passengers in 2024, before reaching a record 93 mn passengers in 2025 and 97 mn in 2026.
The story got plenty of ink in the foreign press: Deutsche Welle | Associated Press.
