Dubai announces ambitious plans for the world’s busiest airport

In the Gulf States, airport expansion is a hot topic and the competition is fierce.

While Saudi Arabia’s massive airport has already set records for its size, new developments in Dubai are raising the stakes in the race to become the busiest airport globally by passenger traffic.

Currently, Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd International Airport holds the title of the largest airport in the world by land area, covering a massive 780 square kilometers (around 300 square miles) — larger than the entire country of Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia isn’t slowing down. By 2030, the country plans to build a new six-runway airport at the King Fahd International site, with an eventual capacity to handle 185 million passengers annually.

For perspective, this would be 75 million more passengers than the 110 million expected to pass through the world's current busiest airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, this year.

This is not Hartsfield-Jackson’s first time holding the crown. The airport has been the busiest for over two decades, with the exception of the pandemic-stricken year 2020.

The competition just reached a whole new level.

A staggering 260 million passengers annually

Since its opening 14 years ago, DWC - Al Maktoum International has always been intended to become the world’s largest passenger hub, located about 20 miles southwest of downtown Dubai.

However, the new plan now aims for this megahub to eventually handle 260 million passengers annually—100 million more than initially projected, surpassing the capacity of nearly every airport worldwide.

According to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, the new airport will be five times the size of the existing Dubai International Airport, with all operations at Dubai International being moved to the new site in the coming years. It will feature 400 aircraft gates and five parallel runways.

Dubai World Central (DWC) is the more recent of Dubai’s two international airports. While Dubai International Airport currently ranks as the second busiest in the world, its future traffic will shift to the newer DWC, as part of the expansion plans for the airport.

The airport will be the focal point of an ambitious project called Dubai South, a vast urban development plan aimed at creating an entirely new city on a 145-square-kilometer (56-square-mile) plot of desert just south of Dubai.

The new district, which is already beginning to take shape, will feature eight distinct neighborhoods, each dedicated to a specific industry or activity, blending both residential and commercial areas.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum emphasized, "As we build a whole city around the airport in Dubai South, the demand for housing to accommodate one million people will grow. The city will house leading global companies from the logistics and aviation sectors."

"We are constructing a visionary project for future generations, ensuring sustainable growth for our children and their descendants. Dubai will become the world’s airport, port, urban hub, and new global center," said Sheikh Mohammed.

Upon completion, Dubai South will span an impressive 70 square kilometers (27 square miles), although still only a fraction of the size of Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd International Airport, which will continue to hold the title of the world’s largest for the foreseeable future.

The other contenders in the region

Currently, Dubai World Central primarily serves as a hub for aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), as well as hosting several air cargo companies, including Emirates Cargo. It also handles executive jets and charter flights. The cargo operations are projected to process up to 12 million tonnes annually as part of the expansion plans.

Regarding the timeline, remember the Sheikh’s vision for "our children and their children".

The first phase is expected to be completed within 10 years, with annual capacity reaching 150 million passengers. After that, the timeline extends over several decades.

According to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, "The new airport will lay the foundation for the next 40 years of growth in Dubai’s aviation industry."

On Sunday, Emirates, the UAE’s flagship airline, revealed on X that it would soon relocate to its “future home” at Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International.

Meanwhile, Dubai International (DXB) remains in full operation, recently earning the title of the second busiest airport in the world for the first time, handling 104.7 million passengers in 2023.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, confirmed on Sunday that "DXB will remain the primary hub […] for the next few years as phase two of DWC begins to take shape."

Watch out for Hamad International Airport in Qatar, a strong competitor to Dubai in the long-haul travel market. The airport is preparing to boost its capacity to over 60 million passengers annually.

At the northern tip of the Gulf, Kuwait International Airport is constructing a new terminal designed by the renowned British firm Foster+Partners. This terminal will initially handle 25 million passengers per year, with the potential to expand to 50 million in the future.

Less than 20 miles from downtown Dubai, Sharjah International Airport, primarily serving low-cost carrier Air Arabia, is also enhancing its facilities to accommodate 20 million passengers annually.