The Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced on Sunday (28) that his government has approved the final designs for a new passenger airport located 40 kilometers southwest of downtown Dubai, which will one day become the new headquarters of Emirates Airlines, with a capacity of up to 260 million passengers annually.
The new passenger terminals at Dubai World Central (DWC) will have 400 boarding gates and will cost AED 128 billion ($34.87 billion). Also known as Al Maktoum International Airport, the massive site opened in 2010 as a cargo airport, and a limited number of passenger flights began operating from a small passenger terminal in 2013.
The Dubai government originally planned to develop the airport and move all operations from Dubai International Airport to the central Garhoud neighborhood by 2025, but funding problems delayed the project on several occasions.
On Sunday, Sheikh Mohammed did not specify a specific timetable for the completion of the new passenger terminals, only indicating that operations will be transferred from Dubai International Airport to Dubai World Central Airport over the next ten years, with an initial capacity of 150 million passengers annually.
“We are building a new project for future generations, ensuring the continuous and stable development of our children and their children in turn. Dubai will be the world’s airport, port, urban center and new global hub.”Sheikh Mohammed commented. “As we build an entire city around the airport in Dubai South, the demand for housing will come for a million people. It will include major companies in the logistics and air transport sectors in the world.
Work on the DWC was suspended indefinitely in 2019, but sources said last year the government warned key stakeholders to prepare when the project got the green light to resume.
The project will include the construction of five new passenger terminals, which will consist of the main passenger terminal, which includes the main check-in hall and departure gates, connected to four smaller satellite terminals, connected by an automated people conveyor without interruption.
The new building, with an area five times the size of Dubai International Airport, will enable a massive expansion of Emirates airline operations. The airport will also work to increase the capacity of Emirates Airlines, by doubling the number of runways from two to five parallel runways at Dubai World Central Airport, with four independent operations.
