Dubai charts course for airport expansion

Already home to the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic, the approved expansion of the city’s second hub will ensure Dubai continues to remain at the forefront of connectivity Meeting planners have long valued Dubai as a destination for business events thanks to the city’s easy accessibility, with one-third of the world’s population within a four-hour flight, and two-thirds within eight hours. That connectivity is now set to be boosted by ambitious plans for the expansion of Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport’s (DWC), with a roadmap in place for the hub to eventually take over all operations from Dubai International Airport (DXB). His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, recently reviewed designs for what will become the world’s largest airport, giving the go ahead for a construction project that will cost AED128 billion (US$34.9 billion). All of DXB’s operations will move to DWC within 10 years, and as the primary hub, DXC will eventually have capacity for up to 260 million passengers a year. The airport will accommodate 400 aircraft gates and feature five parallel runways. Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said: “The growth of Dubai has always been hand in hand with the growth of its aviation infrastructure and today we see another bold step on that journey. The announcement of phase two of Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport’s (DWC) expansion, representing a substantial investment of AED128 billion, marks the start of a huge investment of resources by our many stakeholders in designing and building a state-of-the-art airport that will provide a quick, convenient, and high quality 21st century experience for our customers. This further solidifies Dubai’s position as a leading aviation hub on the world stage.”For now, DXB will continues to serve as the city’s primary hub, having recently retained its title as the world’s busiest international airport for the 10^th year running, according to Airports Council International (ACI). Welcoming 87 million passengers in 2023, it will be able to meet the needs of over 100 million passengers over the coming years as DWC continues to take shape. As of August 2024, DXB is connected to 269 destinations across 106 countries, served by 101 international airlines. Homegrown airline Emirates spearheads the city’s connectivity with the rest of the world through DXB, while low-cost carrier flydubai is also based at the airport. To find out more about Dubai’s connectivity and hosting business events in the city, visit www.dubaibusinessevents.com