Dubai’s ruler announces construction of world’s largest airport terminal

Al Maktoum International Airport is envisaged to have capacity for 260 million passengers upon completion.

Dubai has started work on a $35bn airport terminal that is set to have the world’s largest capacity upon completion, the emirate’s ruler has said.

Dubai’s Prime Minister and Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said on Sunday that the new terminal would be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport and handle up to 260 million passengers annually.

All operations at Dubai International Airport will be transferred to the newer Al Maktoum International Airport over the coming years, Sheikh Mohammed said.

“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,” Sheikh Mohammed said on X.

“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.”