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First phase of Dubai’s $35bn airport to be ready in 10 years

By Pramod Kumar
Al Maktoum International Airport will be able to handle 260m passengers annually Wam
Al Maktoum International Airport will be able to handle 260m passengers annually
  • Five times the size of DXB
  • 400 aircraft gates, five runways
  • City to be built around site

Dubai has launched the world’s largest passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International at a cost of AED128 billion ($34.85 billion), capable of handling 260 million passengers annually upon completion.

The initial phase of the project, slated to be completed within a decade, will be able to accommodate 150 million passengers annually, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported.

The Al Maktoum International Airport will be five times the size of Dubai International Airport (DXB), Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, adding that all the operations at DXB will be transferred to Al Maktoum in the coming years.

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He said the airport will accommodate 400 aircraft gates, feature five parallel runways, and deploy new technologies for the first time in the aviation sector.

Sheikh Mohammed said work has commenced on the project, which is part of Dubai Aviation Corporation’s strategy.

He added that an entire city will be constructed around the airport in Dubai South, driving demand for housing for a million people.

The Dubai ruler also reviewed the master plan for the “Airport of the Future,” which covers an area of 70 sq km and will have a capacity to handle 12 million tonnes of cargo per annum.

The new airport will prepare the ground for the next 40 years of anticipated growth in Dubai’s aviation sector, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, said. 

Khalifa Al Zaffin, executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation, said the new airport will be an integral part of Dubai’s economy and a major contributor to the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33).

“It will generate estimated workforce and residential requirement for over a million people living and working in Dubai South, which has been under development and operation since 2007,” he said.

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