Dubai Unveils $128bn Plan For World’s Largest Airport

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The leadership of Dubai has approved an ambitious plan worth AED 453.6 billion ($128bn) to build a new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport which will ultimately become five times bigger than its current international hub in terms of size and the world’s largest airport by capacity, with potential for up to 260 million passengers annually. The move comes as Dubai International Airport – currently ranked second worldwide in annual traffic levels following Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson terminal – begins shifting all operations there over coming years.
The new Al Maktoum hub will be located at the southern end of Dubai, where a major development project is already underway to create an entirely new city around it designed for one million people according to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UAE. “Al Maktoum International Airport will enjoy the world’s largest capacity reaching up to 260 million passengers,” he said in a statement released on Sunday.
The airport is expected to feature no fewer than five parallel runways capable of handling 400 aircraft simultaneously, and new aviation technologies are set to be employed for “the first time in the history of aviation”. Images circulated by Dubai Media Office show expansive infrastructure including enormous terminals with futuristic designs.
The project’s ‘first phase’, due for completion within ten years and able to accommodate 150 million passengers annually, is expected to be ready around that same timeframe according to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, CEO of Emirates Airline – which will relocate from Dubai International Airport along with its low cost subsidiary FlyDubai and all airline partners connecting the world to and from Dubai.
The move is part of a wider economic strategy known as D33 aimed at doubling the size of Dubai’s economy by 2033 through increased investment, talent attraction and diversification away from traditional sectors such as oil. The new airport will be an integral component in achieving that goal due to its expected impact on logistics capabilities with a cargo capacity targeting up to twelve million tons annually once fully operational – making it the world’s largest cargo handling hub by far at present.
Al Maktoum International Airport, also known as Dubai World Central (DWC), is set to cover an area of 27 square miles upon completion and will form part of a major development project in southern Dubai which includes new residential areas designed for one million people according to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
The D33 strategy, meanwhile, has been devised as an answer to the UAE’s Vision 2040 initiative aimed at ensuring a sustainable future and high quality of life for generations to come by diversifying its economy away from oil revenues – something which will require investment in technology and infrastructure alongside education reform.