Dubai has initiated construction on a groundbreaking project: a new terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, heralded to be “the world’s largest” at a staggering cost of nearly $35 billion.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s ruler and the UAE’s prime minister, announced the commencement of construction, emphasizing the monumental scale of the endeavor.
“We approved the designs for the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, and (are) commencing construction of the building at a cost of AED 128 billion ($34.85 billion),” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, said on X.
Once operational, the airport is projected to accommodate an unprecedented 260 million passengers annually, boasting “the world’s largest capacity” and dwarfing the current Dubai International Airport by fivefold, a hub renowned for its global air traffic.
According to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and CEO of Emirates, the first phase of the project is slated for completion within a decade, with a capacity to serve 150 million passengers annually.
Al Maktoum Airport, situated on the city’s outskirts, aims to alleviate congestion at Dubai International Airport, which, limited by its city-center location, has been unable to expand to its full potential.