Dubai International Airport and Emirates are like ketchup and fries, but not for too long. Dubai’s national carrier announced at Arabian Travel Market that they will relocate all operations and flights to Al Maktoum Airport (also known as Dubai World Central) in Dubai South in the future.
The good news, however, is that this move is years away and will happen all at once. No panicking about mixing up flight details and showing up at the wrong airport, just yet Emirates frequent flyers!
When is Emirates moving to Al Maktoum Airport?
Speaking at the annual travel and tourism fair, Emirates CEO and Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said that all of Emirates’ operations will relocate to the new airport by 2034. The move will happen in ‘one go’ as opposed to a step-by-step approach. “You will wake up one day and the terminal is open and tested and you will see flights from Al Maktoum Airport,” he said.
Why is Emirates shifting to the Al Maktoum Airport?
Emirates’ shift to the new airport is to accommodate the airline’s ever-growing fleet of new aircraft and the facilities it will require such as additional gates and parking. The new Jebel Ali airport has its sights set on being the world’s largest and busiest airport when it finishes construction by 2050.
Phase 1 of the DWC airport is set to finish by 2030, shortly before Dubai’s flagship airlines moves there. The AED 128 million project will equip DWC with five passenger terminals that can handle 260 million travellers every year, five parallel runways and 400 aircraft gates. Spanning 70 square kilometres, it’ll also be five times the size of Dubai International Airport in Garhoud.
Dubai will have only one mega airport in the future
Emirates isn’t the only airline that will switch bases to Al Maktoum Airport. Last week, the Dubai government announced that all airlines operating out of Dubai International Airport (DXB) will gradually move passenger services to Al Maktoum Aiport over the next two decades. Dubai’s current two-airport system will be scrapped and DXB will be shut down once this transition is complete.
The new mega airport will have seamless connections to road and rail routes once completed, making commutes to and from airports convenient for residents and visitors.
What will happen to the OG aviation hub in Garhoud, you ask? According to this report by The National, Dubai Airports chief executive, Paul Griffiths, hinted at the Al Garhoud area undergoing possible redevelopment.