Dubai is planning to spend $35 billion on a huge airport project that will be the largest in the world. This new airport will have 400 gates and five runways and is expected to serve 260 million passengers each year, more than any other airport globally. It’s a key part of Dubai South, a big city plan designed to house a million people.
Right now, Dubai is expanding an existing airport to make it five times bigger than its current main airport. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who leads Dubai, said the updated Al Maktoum International Airport will handle 260 million passengers, making it the biggest in the world.
“We are building this for our future generations to ensure they have ongoing and stable growth,” Sheikh Mohammed shared on social media. “Dubai will become the main global center for flying, shipping, and business.”
For context, the busiest airport in the world right now, Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, handled about 104.6 million passengers in 2023. Currently, most international flights come through Dubai International Airport, where around 87 million passengers came in 2023.
Eventually, all flights will switch over to the Al Maktoum airport, which will also have five runways and 400 gates, as per Sheikh Mohammed. He mentioned that it will take ten years and $35 billion to build this airport and develop a city around it that could house a million people.
The Al Maktoum International Airport, also known as Dubai World Central, started in 2010 with one terminal and two runways, but it’s much less busy than Dubai International Airport. This announcement is timely, as air travel in Dubai has bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, with 17.15 million international overnight visitors recorded in 2023. The airport is meant to be the main attraction in Dubai South, an area planned to support a million residents and offer 500,000 jobs across 55 square miles.
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