Dubai announced on Sunday (28/4), construction of a new terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai, had begun. According to the ruler of the Gulf Emirates, the airport will be “the largest in the world” at a cost of almost $35 billion.
“We approved the design of the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, at a cost of $34.85 billion,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, said in a tweet on the X platform.
Once fully operational, the airport will “accommodate 260 million passengers per year”, the government said.
Sheikh Mohammed added that the airport would be “five times bigger than the current Dubai International Airport”, which is one of the busiest airport hubs in the world.
Built on the outskirts of the city, Al Maktoum airport has received only a fraction of the Gulf financial hub’s air traffic since 2010.
Authorities want the airport to replace Dubai International Airport, which has a capacity of 120 million passengers annually. Its location in the city center prevents expansion.
