Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, will move its operations to the city-state's second, sprawling airfield in its southern desert reaches "within the next 10 years" in a project worth nearly £28billion, its ruler said Sunday.
The project, announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, marks the latest development in the rebound of Dubai's long-haul carrier Emirates following the coronavirus pandemic. Plans to relocate operations from Dubai International Airport to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central had been delayed due to the sheikhdom's 2009 economic crisis.
"We are building a new project for future generations, ensuring continuous and stable development for our children and their children in turn," Sheikh Mohammed said in a statement. "Dubai will be the world's airport, its port, its urban hub and its new global center."
The new airport, with computer-rendered images showcasing curving white terminals resembling Bedouin tents, will boast five parallel runways and 400 aircraft gates, compared to the existing two runways at Dubai International Airport. The financial wellbeing of Emirates has long been a gauge for the global aviation industry and the broader economic health of Dubai.
The city-state and its flagship carrier bounced back swiftly from the pandemic, aggressively promoting tourism while other nations were slower to emerge from their pandemic-induced slowdowns. In 2023, passenger numbers at Dubai International Airport (DXB) soared past its 2019 total, with 86.9 million passengers compared to 86.3 million in 2019.
The airport's busiest year pre-pandemic was 2018, with 89.1 million passengers, while 66 million passengers passed through in 2022. Earlier in February, Dubai reported record-breaking tourism figures, hosting 17.15 million international overnight visitors in 2023. Average hotel occupancy hovered around 77%.
The surge in passenger numbers has once again strained DXB's capacity, which is limited by surrounding residential areas and two major highways. Al Maktoum International Airport, located about 45 kilometres (28 miles) from DXB, opened in 2010 with one terminal. During the pandemic, it served as a parking lot for Emirates' Airbus A380s and other aircraft.
It has gradually revived with cargo and private flights since then. The airport also hosts the biennial Dubai Air Show and has ample room for expansion in the vast, empty desert surrounding it. Sheikh Mohammed has announced Dubai's ambitious plans to expand further south, with the Expo 2020 site already offering homes for potential buyers.
"As we build an entire city around the airport in Dubai South, demand for housing for a million people will follow," stated Dubai's ruler. "It will host the world's leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors."
However, previous financial pressures have put a pause on such developments. The 2009 financial crisis, a result of the Great Recession, led to Abu Dhabi stepping in with a multi billion pound bailout for Dubai. At the same time, Dubai is still recovering from the UAE's heaviest rainfall on record, which caused days of disruptions to flights and commerce.