Dubai International Airport’s activities will be totally absorbed by a new $35 billion terminal

With the approval of Dubai officials on Sunday to build a third terminal for travelers at the airport at a cost of an astounding $34.8 billion, Al Maktoum International Airport is expected to handle the most people globally.

The vice president and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, stated on X that the airport could accommodate up to 260 million people.

The Dubai Media Office stated, “It will completely absorb Dubai International Airport’s operations in ten years.”

“A million people will need accommodation when we develop a whole metropolis in Dubai South surrounding the airport. The top businesses in the aviation and logistics industries worldwide will be based there, according to 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 centre.”

The National News agency reports that “it will be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport, which is top-ranked for international traffic.”

According to the news agency, the 70 square kilometer airport would be equipped with 400 airplane gates, five parallel runways, state-of-the-art aviation technology, and the ability to handle 12 million tons of cargo annually.

The project will be built in parts, with the first one expected to be finished in ten years, allowing the facility to handle 150 million passengers annually.

The president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, stated: “The new airport, which will ultimately be over five times the size of Dubai International, will prepare the ground for the next 40 years of anticipated growth in Dubai’s aviation sector.”

The CEO of Emirates Airline and Group, Sheikh Ahmed, stated: “It will respond to the hub airline ambitious plans in terms of fleet acquisition and passenger growth.”

“Al Maktoum International is planned in such a way as to represent a leap into the future,” he added, adding that “the airport is also being designed to strongly contribute to mitigate environmental emissions and aims to achieve LEED gold certification.”

86.9 million people passed through Dubai International Airport (DXB) last year, a significant rise of 31.7% annually. In 2023, 416,405 flight movements were projected to occur overall.