Dubai to get new airport terminal in next 10 years costing $35 billion

Better, bigger Dubai Airport: Setting the ball rolling for the new terminal of the Dubai International Airport, its ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Sunday announced that the sprawling airfield in its southern desert reaches will witness completion within the next 10 years with the project costing almost $35 billion. 

Emirates, the renowned long-haul carrier, continues its remarkable resurgence following the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a significant announcement on the horizon. Amidst the challenges posed by the global health crisis, plans have long been in motion to transition operations from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central. The plan for the airport relocation and terminal expansion was conceived years ago but faced roadblocks due to the economic downturn in 2009. However, the focus of UAE to see a larger airport is now set to become a reality, marking a pivotal moment in the region's aviation landscape.

“We are building a new project for future generations, ensuring continuous and stable development for our children and their children in turn,” Sheikh Mohammed said in an online statement. “Dubai will be the world's airport, its port, its urban hub and its new global centre.” The announcement included computer-rendered images of curving, white terminal reminiscent of the traditional Bedouin tents of the Arabian Peninsula. The airport will include five parallel runways and 400 aircraft gates, the announcement said. The airport now has just two runways, like Dubai International Airport.

Post-pandemic recovery 

The financial health of the carrier Emirates has served as a barometer for the aviation industry worldwide and the wider economic health of this city-state. Dubai and the airline rebounded quickly from the pandemic by pushing forward with tourism even as some countries more slowly came out of their pandemic crouch.

Located almost 45 km away from existing Dubai Airport,  the Al Maktoum International Airport, opened in 2010 with one terminal. It served as a parking lot for Emirates' double-decker Airbus A380s and other aircraft during the pandemic and slowly has come back to life with cargo and private flights in the time since. It also hosts the biennial Dubai Air Show and has a vast, empty desert in which to expand.

The announcement by Sheikh Mohammed noted Dubai's plans to expand further south. Already, its nearby Expo 2020 site has been offering homes for buyers. “As we build an entire city around the airport in Dubai South, demand for housing for a million people will follow,” Dubai's ruler said. “It will host the world's leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors.” However, financial pressures have halted the move in the past. Dubai's 2009 financial crisis, brought on by the Great Recession, forced Abu Dhabi to provide the city-state with a $20 billion bailout.

Meanwhile, the city-state is still trying to recover after the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the UAE, which disrupted flights and commerce for days. 

(With PTI inputs)