The design and plans for the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai have been approved, and the first images of the state-of-the-art building have been unveiled.
Massive scale
The biggest takeaway is the sheer scale of the project. When it is completed, Al Maktoum Airport will have the largest passenger terminal in the world. The cost of building this next phase of construction is AED 128 billion ($35 billion USD).
The airport stats are impressive. Al Maktoum will have:
- 5 parallel runways
- 5 passenger terminals
- 400 aircraft gates
- Capacity for 260 million passengers
- 5 times the size of Dubai International
- 12 million tons of annual cargo capacity
A state-of-the-art and sustainable home for Emirates
The new terminal will take an estimated 10 years to build and is targeted for completion in 2034. At that time, Al Maktoum Airport will become Emirates’ new home hub, with all operations shifting from Dubai International. As a result, Dubai International will be completely shut down, and the prime location will be used for new development.
By the time the new terminal is operational, Emirates will be in dire need of the extra capacity. As the A380 fleet starts to be retired they will be replaced by smaller aircraft. Emirates will have to operate more flights just to keep passenger numbers flat.
New aviation technologies
The new airport promises to provide cutting-edge technologies and a better passenger experience. The renderings give a taste of that with images of smart trolleys that follow passengers.
The new terminal will also further the UAE and Emirate’s sustainabily commitments. Al Maktoum Airport aims to achieve a LEED Gold Certification.
Closer to Abu Dhabi
Al Maktoum Airport is located south of Dubai near Jebel Ali. It is about 40 kilometres closer to Abu Dhabi Airport than Dubai International. That’s going to influence some people’s travel decisions. Already, about 20-25% of my flights every year are through Dubai. I would definitely be happier with a slightly shorter journey to and from the airport.
The big winner in all this is surely Sharjah Airport, which will lose a competitor right on its doorstep. Sharjah will undoubtedly see a boost in traffic numbers with additional regional flights and possibly even some new long-haul flights to key markets.
Conclusion
The project to shift Dubai’s main hub from Dubai International to Al Maktoum Airport is currently the most ambitious aviation infrastructure project in the pipeline globally. It is going to be exciting to watch this evolve over the next decade.