Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced today that the government has approved the designs for the new passenger terminals at Al Maktoum International Airport (also known as Dubai World Central), and commencing construction of the building at a cost of AED 128 billion as part of Dubai Aviation Corporation”s strategy.
Sheikh Mohammed has also said the Al Maktoum International Airport will enjoy the world”s largest capacity, reaching up to 260 million passengers.
He added that the capacity will be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport, and all operations at Dubai International Airport will be transferred to it in the coming years.
With the current plans, the airport will accommodate 400 aircraft gates and feature five parallel runways. Sheikh Mohammed said new aviation technologies will be employed for the first time in the aviation sector.
The Dubai ruler expects real estate growth in the area concurrent to the development of Al Maktoum International Airport.
“As we build an entire city around the airport in Dubai South, demand for housing for a million people will follow. It will host the world”s leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors. We are building a new project for future generations, ensuring continuous and stable development for our children and their children in turn. Dubai will be the world”s airport, its port, its urban hub, and its new global center,” Sheikh Mohammed added.
Currently serving as the secondary airport to Dubai International Airport, Al Maktoum International Airport is situated at Jebel Ali, 37 kilometres southwest of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that opened on 27 June 2010.