His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has approved designs and the start of work on a futuristic new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International airport.
Once fully operational, it will be the largest airport in the world, with the capacity to handle up to 260 million passengers as well as 12 million tonnes of cargo per year. It will stretch over an area of 70 square kilometres.
The approval of the designs and commencement of work came during His Highness Sheikh Mohammed’s recent visit to the Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, accompanied by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chariman of the Executive Council of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
Also accompanying HH Sheikh Mohammed during his visit were His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai; His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group; and His Excellency Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Office.
Part of a strategic plan from Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects and Dubai Aviation Corporation, the new airport will be five times the size of the current Dubai International airport, able to accommodate 500 aircraft gates and five parallel runways. The new airport will feature cutting-edge technology and design, with His Highness Sheikh Maktoum stating that the airport will feature new aviation technologies employed for the first time in the aviation sector. It will include west and east processing terminals, four satellite concourses with over 400 aircraft contact stands; uninterrupted automated people mover systems for passengers; an integrated landside transport hub for roads, Metro, and city air transport; as well as a major commitment towards sustainability practices that aims to achieve it a LEED Gold Certification.
The new developments include plans to transfer all operations at Dubai International Airport to Al Maktoum International airport “in the coming years”.
“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,” His Highness Sheikh Maktoum said.“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 centre.”
Work on the new airport is set to commence immediately, with the first phase of the project expected to be completed within the next 10 years. It is projected to generate estimated workforce and residential requirements for more than a million people.
