It’s one of the most prestigious and glamorous destinations on Earth, so it’s no surprise that Dubai International Airport is one of the busiest travel hubs in the world. But that could all be set to change – with the airport set to close down.
More than 90 million passengers pass through the airport – known as DXB – every year, and it is a key hub for long-haul flights from the UK to further afield. But now it has been revealed the massive site is set to close down. The expansion of the nearby Al Maktoum International Airport, which opened in 2010, means the older DXB will become redundant, the London Evening Standard reports.
CEO Paul Griffiths has confirmed all air traffic will eventually move from the older site, which opened in 1960, to the more modern facility. Al Maktoum International Airport, known as DWC, is currently undergoing a massive £28 billion expansion.
Its new terminal is due to open in 2032, with further expansion to continue into the 2050s. When it is complete the airport will be the largest in the world, at five times the size of DXB, with five runways, 400 aircraft gates, and capacity for 260 million passengers every year.
It is expected DXB will continue running while this work is carried out, but operations there will be phased out as they are moved to the newer site. This means the older airport is likely to remain in operation for at least the next decade.
“There is little sense in operating two major hubs with such close proximity to one another,” Mr Griffiths told the Arabian Travel Market conference earlier this week. “We will move every single service to DWC.”
He added that by the time the expansion of DWC was nearing completion, “every single asset at DXB will be close to the end of its useful operating role”, and as a result “the economics of keeping DXB open will not be possible unless we invest a huge amount of money.”
He added the land currently occupied by the airport would be redeveloped once it shuts. “DXB will close and we’ll redevelop the area,” he said. “It will spread the city out.”
Travellers from the UK make up one of the largest groups visiting Dubai. British Airways and Emirates run flights from Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.