Dubai International Airport

Dubai International Airport (IATA: DXB, ICAO: OMDB) (Arabic: مطار دبي الدولي‎‎) is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic. It is also the 3rd busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic, the 6th busiest cargo airport in world, the busiest airport for Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 movements, and the busiest airport in the world operating with only two runways. In 2016, DXB handled 83.6 million passengers, 2.59 million tonnes of cargo and registered 418,220 aircraft movements.

Dubai International is situated in the Al Garhoud district, 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km; 2.9 mi) east of Dubai and spread over an area of 2,900 hectares (7,200 acres) of land. The airport is operated by the Dubai Airports Company and is the home base of Dubai's international airlines, Emirates and flydubai. The Emirates hub is the largest airline hub in the Middle East; Emirates handles around 65% of all passenger traffic and accounts for approximately 42% of all aircraft movements at the airport. Dubai Airport is also the base for low-cost carrier flydubai which handles 11.6% of passenger traffic and 25% of aircraft movements at DXB. The airport consists of three terminals and has a total capacity of 90 million passengers annually. Terminal 3 is the second largest building in the world by floor space and the largest airport terminal in the world. As of January 2016, there are over 7,700 weekly flights operated by 140 airlines to over 270 destinations across all six inhabited continents.

Dubai International is an important contributor to the Dubai economy, as it employs approximately 90,000 people, indirectly supports over 400,000 jobs and contributes over US$26.7 billion to the economy, which represents around 27 per cent of Dubai’s GDP and 21% of the employment in Dubai. It is predicted that by 2020, the economic contribution of Dubai’s aviation sector will rise to 37.5% of the city's GDP and by 2030, the economic impact of aviation is projected to grow to $88.1 billion and support 1.95 million jobs in Dubai or 44.7% of the GDP and 35.1% of the total employment.

History

The history of civil aviation in Dubai started in July 1937 when an air agreement was signed for a flying boat base for the aircraft of Imperial Airways with rental of the base at about 440 Rupees per month – this included the guards' wages.[] The Empire Flying Boats also started operating once a week flying east to Karachi and west to Southampton, England. By February 1938, there were four flying boats a week. []

In the 1940s, flying from Dubai was by flying boats operated by British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), operating the Horseshoe route from Southern Africa via the Persian Gulf to Sydney.

Construction

Construction of the airport was ordered by the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, in 1959. It officially opened in 1960 with its first airfield, at which time it was able to handle aircraft the size of a Douglas DC-3 on a 1,800 m (5,906 ft) long runway made of compacted sand. Three turning-areas, an apron and small terminal completed the airport that was constructed by Costain.

In May 1963, construction of a 9,200 ft (2,804 m) asphalt runway started. This new runway, alongside the original sand runway and taxiway opened in May 1965, together with several new extensions were added to the Terminal Building, hangars erected, Airport and Navigational aids were installed. The installation of the lighting system continued after official opening and was completed in August of that year. During the second half of the 1960s several extensions, equipment upgrades like a VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) and an instrument landing system (ILS) as well as new buildings were constructed. By 1969, the airport was served by 9 airlines serving some 20 destinations.

Operations and statistics
Passenger movements
2003 18,062,344 2010 47,180,628
2004 21,711,883 2011 50,977,960
2005 23,607,507 2012 57,684,550
2006 28,788,726 2013 66,431,533
2007 34,340,000 2014 70,475,636
2008 37,441,440 2015 78,014,838
2009 40,901,752 2016 83,654,250
Airfreight movements in tonnes
2003 928,758 2010 2,270,498
2004 1,111,647 2011 2,199,750
2005 1,333,014 2012 2,279,624
2006 1,410,963 2013 2,435,567
2007 1,668,505 2014 2,367,574
2008 1,824,991 2015 2,506,092
2009 1,927,520 2016 2,592,454
Aircraft movements
2003 148,334 2010 292,662
2004 168,511 2011 326,317
2005 195,820 2012 344,245
2006 217,165 2013 369,953
2007 260,530 2014 357,339
2008 N/A 2015 403,517
2009 N/A 2016 418,220
Capacity
Passenger (current) 83,000,000
<smalokkaas(ultimate) 90,000,000
Cargo (current) 2.5m tonnes
Cargo (ultimate) 2.5m tonnes
Apron (current) 173
Number of destinations
<smalteeringmoeder(air) 240
Number of airlines
International 140+

The inauguration was on 15 May 1966 and was marked by the visits of the first big jets of Middle East Airlines and Kuwait Airways Comets.

The advent of wide body aircraft required further airport development in the 1970s, which had already been foreseen by the Ruler of Dubai, and plans for a new Terminal, runways, and taxiways capable of coping with international flights were drawn up. The construction of a new terminal building consisting of a three-story building 110 m (360 ft) long and included an enclosed floor area of 13,400 m2 (144,000 sq ft). A new 28 m (92 ft) control tower was also constructed.

Expansion continued in the early 1970s including ILS Category II equipment, lengthening existing runway to 12,500 ft (3,810 m), installation of a non-directional beacon (NDB), diesel generators, taxiways, etc. This work made handling the Boeing 747 and Concorde possible. Several runway and apron extensions were carried out through the decade to meet growing demand.

1971 saw the new precision category 2 Approach and Runway Lighting System being commissioned. The construction of the Airport Fire Station and the installation of the generators were completed in December of that year and was fully operational in March 1972. The ruler also commissioned and inaugurated the Long-range Surveillance System on 19 June 1973.

With the expansion of the Airport Fire Services it was necessary to find more suitable accommodation and a hangar style building was made available to them at the end of 1976. This was located midway between the runway ends to facilitate efficient operations. A new building was also constructed to house the Airport Maintenance Engineer, Electronics Engineering section and Stores unit.

Expansion of the Airport Restaurant and Transit Lounge including the refurbishing of the upper level and the provision of a new kitchen was completed in December 1978.

The next phase of development was the second runway, which was completed three months ahead of schedule and opened in April 1984. This runway, located 360 m (1,180 ft) north of the existing runway and parallel to it and is equipped with the latest meteorological, airfield lighting and instrument landing systems to give the airport a Category II classification.

Also several extensions and upgrades of terminal facilities and supporting systems were carried out. On 23 December 1980 the airport became an ordinary member of the Airports Council International (ACI).

During the 1980s, Dubai was a stopping point for airlines such as Air India, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and others travelling between Asia and Europe that needed a refuelling point in the Persian Gulf. This use was later made redundant with the availability of Russian airspace due to the breakup of the Soviet Union and the advent of longer-range aircraft introduced in the late 1980s and early 1990s such as the Airbus A340, the Boeing 747-400 and the Boeing 777 series aircraft, which had the range to fly between Europe and Southeast Asia nonstop.

Expansion

The opening of Terminal 2 in 1998 saw the first step of phase 1 of the new development master plan launched in 1997. As the second stage, Concourse 1 opened in April 2000 under the name of Sheikh Rashid Terminal. The concourse is 0.8 km (0.50 mi) in length and connects to the check-in area by a 0.3 km (0.19 mi) underground tunnel containing moving walkways (conveyor belt/travelators). It also contains a hotel, business centre, health club, exchanges, dining and entertainment facilities, internet services, medical centre, post office and a prayer room. The next step was the reconfiguration of the runways, already part of phase 2, and aprons and taxiways were expanded and strengthened in 2003–2004. In addition, the Dubai Flower Centre opened in 2005 as part of the development. The airport saw the need for this as the city is a hub for import and export of flowers and the airport required a specialist facility since flowers need special conditions.

Construction of Terminal 3 began in 2004 as the next stage of phase 2 of the development, with an estimated cost of around $4.55 billion. Completion was originally planned for 2006, but was delayed by two years.

On 30 May 2008, a topping out ceremony was conducted. The terminal became operational on 14 October 2008, with Emirates Airline (EK2926) from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, being the first flight to arrive at the new terminal and EK843 to Doha, Qatar being the first departing flight. The terminal increased the airport's maximum passenger capacity annually by 47 million, bringing the total annual capacity up to 75 million passengers.

On 29 October 2010, the airport marked its 50th anniversary. The airport has seen over 402 million passengers at an average annual growth rate of 15.5% and handled over 3.87 million aircraft at an average annual growth rate of 12.4%.

With the arrival of the Airbus A380, the airport made modifications costing $230 million. These included the building of 29 gates capable of handling the large aircraft, five of which are in Terminal 3 and two are in Terminal 1. Other important projects at the airport include the next stage of the phase 2 development, which includes the construction of Concourse 3. This will be a smaller version of Concourse 2, which is connected to Terminal 3.

Also as part of the expansion, the airport is now able to handle at least 75 million (an increase of 19 million) passengers per annum with the opening of Concourse 3, which is part of Terminal 3. However, recent communications predict a further increase to 80 million passengers with additional reassessments of existing capacities. In 2009, Terminal 2 expanded its facilities to handle 5 million (an increase of 2 million) passengers annually, taking the airport's total capacity to 62 million passengers. The Department of Civil Aviation has said that Terminal 2 will be continuously upgraded and expanded to bring the total capacity of the airport from the initial 75 million passengers to 80 million passenger capacity by 2012.

The Cargo Mega Terminal, which will have the capacity to handle 3 million tonnes of cargo a year, is a major development; it is going to be built in the long term. Completion of the Mega terminal will be no later than 2018. Terminal 2 will be completely redeveloped to match the status of the other two terminals. With all of these projects completed by 2013, the airport expects to be able of handling at least 75–80 million passengers and over 5 million tonnes of cargo.

The airport's landside facilities were modified to allow construction of two stations for the Red Line of Dubai Metro. One station was built at Terminal 1 and the other at Terminal 3. The line began service on 9 September 2009, and opened in phases over the next year. The second Metro line, the Green Line, runs near the Airport Free Zone and has served the airport's north-eastern area with the Terminal 2 starting in September 2011.

The proposed 52 km (32 mi) Purple Line will link Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport, which is currently being built at Jebel Ali.

With phase 2 of DXB's expansion plan complete, the airport now has three terminals and three concourses, two cargo mega terminals, an airport free zone, an expo centre with three large exhibition halls, a major aircraft maintenance hub and a flower centre to handle perishable goods. A phase 3 which has been included in the master-plan involves the construction of a new Concourse 4.

The airport revealed its future plans in May 2011, which involve construction of a new Concourse D for all airlines currently operating from concourse C. Concourse D is expected to bring the total capacity of the airport to over 90 million passengers and will open in early 2016. The plan also involves Emirates solely operating from Concourse C along with Concourse A and B.

In September 2012, Dubai Airports changed the names of concourses to make it easier for passengers to navigate the airport. Concourse 1, in which over 100 international airlines operate, became Concourse C. Concourse 2 became Concourse B and Concourse 3 became Concourse A. The gates in Terminal 2 were changed and are now numbered F1 to F6. The remaining alpha-numeric sequences are being reserved for future airport facilities that are part of the Dubai Airports' $7.8 billion expansion programme, including Concourse D.

Phase Year Description
Phase 1 1997 Initial capacity of 11 million passengers per annum. $540 million phase 1 launched.
1998 Terminal 2 inaugurated on 1 May 1998, to alleviate congestion from Terminal 1, with a capacity of 2.5 million passengers annually.
2000 Sheikh Rashid Terminal (Concourse C) – reopened 15 April 2000. Capable of handling 22 million passengers per annum.
Phase 2
2002 $4.5bn ($545m for the civils on T3 and concourse projects) launched.
2003 Taxiways were strengthened. In addition, work on other taxiways in the area was expanded in order to complete the work associated with the newly commissioned second runway.
2005 Construction of Dubai Flower Centre completed.
2005 US$225 million VIP Pavilion for the Dubai Royal Wing opens in July.
2008 Capable of handling 60 million passengers per annum with the opening of Terminal 3 – Concourse B
2012 Extensions to Terminal 2 are completed – new check-in hall, departure area, and extensions to the terminal building.
2013 New Concourse A constructed, enabling the airport to have a capacity of 80 million passengers.
2016 Concourse D will be completed with a capacity of 15 million passengers. All airlines currently operating from concourse C will move to D.
General Expansion 2004–2008 Includes construction of Emirates Flight Catering Centre, Emirates Engineering Facility.
2006 Opening of Emirates Engineering Facility – largest aircraft hangars in the world.
2007 Opening of Emirates Flight Catering Centre, capable of producing 115,000 meals per day.
2008 New Executive Flights Centre facility launched.
2014 Runway refurbishment and upgrades after an 80-day project which ran from May 1 to July 20, 2014. During this period, DXB operated with one single runway. New LED lighting replaced the old tungsten runway lights and new taxiways were constructed enabling an increase in runway capacity.
2015 Terminal 2 capacity increased to 10 million after expansion completed.

Dubai's government has announced the construction of a new airport in Jebel Ali, named Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International Airport. It is expected to be the second largest airport in the world by physical size, though not by passenger metrics. It opened 27 June 2010, however, construction is not expected to finish until 2017. The airport is expected to be able to accommodate up to 160 million passengers. There has been an official plan to build the Dubai Metro Purple Line to connect Al Maktoum International Airport to Dubai International Airport; construction was set to begin in 2012. Since then, there have been rumours that the Purple Line is being postponed or even cancelled. Concourse D opened on 24 February 2016 for all international airlines and moved out of the Terminal 1. Emirates now operates from Concourse A, Terminal 3 and Terminal 1.

Growth in traffic at Dubai International Airport
Airlines 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014
Passenger movements 4.347 million 6.299 million 9.732 million 15.973 million 28.788 million 47.181 million 70.476 million
Airfreight movements (tonnes) 144,282 243,092 431,777 764,193 1.410 million 2.19 million 2.37 million
City links 36 54 110 170 195 210 240
Weekly scheduled flights N/A N/A 2,350 2,850 4,550 6,100 7,500
Airlines N/A N/A 80 102 113 135 140

Air traffic

Main airlines based at DXB

  • Emirates Airline is the largest airline operating at the airport, with an all-wide-body fleet of over 200 Airbus and Boeing aircraft based at Dubai, providing scheduled services to the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Australia and New Zealand. It operates out of Terminal 3, Concourses A, B and C.
  • Emirates SkyCargo, a subsidiary of Emirates, operates scheduled all-cargo services between Dubai and the rest of the world.
  • Flydubai, a low-cost airline planning to operate over 100 aircraft on scheduled passenger services to and from Dubai, to the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South Asia. It operates from Terminal 2.
  • Qantas uses DXB as a secondary hub after moving its hub for European flights to Dubai and entering an extensive commercial relationship with Emirates in 2013. Qantas flies daily A380 services from both Sydney and Melbourne to London via Dubai, meaning that together Emirates and Qantas offer 98 weekly services between Australia and Dubai.

Recreational flying to Dubai is catered for by the Dubai Aviation Club, which undertakes flying training for private pilots and provides facilities for private owners.

The Government of Dubai provides short and long range search and rescue services, police support, medical evacuation and general purpose flights for the airport and all VIP flights to the airport.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure
Taxiways
Length 25,300 m (83,000 ft)
Width 30 m (98 ft)
Passenger terminal buildings
Total
Floor area 1,972,474 m2 (21,231,530 sq ft)
Handling capacity c. 90 million passengers
Parking bays 73 (aerobridge)
100 (remote)
Terminal One + (Concourse C)
Opened 1 April 2000 (operational)
Floor area 246,474 m2 (2,653,020 sq ft)
Handling capacity 22 million passengers
Parking bays 69 Aircraft Stands (32 stands shared between T1, T2, and T3)
Concourse D
Opened 2016
Floor area 150,000 m2 (1,600,000 sq ft)
Handling capacity 18 million
Parking bays 19 aircraft stands
Terminal Two
Opened May 1, 1998 (operational)
Floor area 13,000 m2 (140,000 sq ft)
Handling capacity 10 million passengers
Parking bays 37 aircraft stands (2 stands shared with T1)
Terminal Three + (Concourse A and B)
Opened 14 October 2008 (operational)
Floor area 1,713,000 m2 (18,440,000 sq ft): Terminal 3 (515000m2) + Concourse A (528000m2) + Concourse B (670000m2)
Handling capacity 43 million passengers: Concourse A (19 million) + Concourse B (24 million)
Parking bays 99 aircraft stands (30 shared between T1, T2 and T3)
VIP Pavilion
Opened January 2005 (operational)
Floor area N/A
Handling capacity N/A
Parking bays N/A

Dubai International Airport was conceptualised to function as Dubai's primary airport and the region's busiest for the foreseeable future without the need for relocation or the building of another airport when passenger figures increased. The area was chosen near to Dubai, to attract passengers from the city of Dubai, rather than travel to the busier Sharjah International Airport. The planned location originally was Jebel Ali.

The original master plan for the existing airport initially involved a dual-terminal and one runway configuration over two phases with provisions for another two passenger terminals in the near future. Phase 1 included the construction for the first passenger terminal, the first runway, 70 aircraft parking bays, support facilities and structures, including a large maintenance hangar, the first fire station, workshops and administrative offices, an airfreight complex, two cargo agents' buildings, in-flight catering kitchens and a 87 m (285 ft) control tower. Construction for the second phase would commence immediately after the completion of Phase 1 and include the second runway, 50 new aircraft parking bays in addition to the existing 70 bays, a second fire station and a third cargo agent building.

The third phase included construction of a new terminal (now the parts of Terminal 1's main building and Concourse C) and an additional 60 parking bays, as well as new aircraft maintenance facility. Then, in the early 2000s (decade) a new master plan was introduced which began the development of the current concourses and terminal infrastructure.

Paul Griffiths (Dubai Airports' CEO) in his interview to Vision magazine, cited plans to build infrastructure to support the expansion of Emirates and budget airline Flydubai, and ascend the ranks of global aviation hubs.

Airport traffic control tower

The 87 m (285 ft)-tall airport traffic control tower (ATCT) was constructed as part of phase two of the then[]-development plan.

Terminals

Dubai International Airport has three terminals. Terminal 1 has one concourse (concourse D), Terminal 2 is set apart from the other two main buildings and Terminal 3 is divided into Concourse A, B, and C. The cargo terminal is capable of handling 3 million tonnes of cargo annually and a general aviation terminal (GAT) is close by.

Passenger terminals

Dubai Airport has three passenger terminals. Terminals 1 and 3 are directly connected with a common transit area, with airside passengers being able to move freely between the terminals without going through immigration, while Terminal 2 is on the opposite side of the airport. For transiting passengers, a shuttle service runs between the terminals, with a journey time of around 20 minutes from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 and 30 minutes to Terminal 3. Passengers in Terminal 3 who need to transfer between concourse A and the rest of the Terminal have to travel via an Automated People Mover. Also after early 2016 when the construction of Concourse D was done, there is now an automated People Mover between concourse D and Terminal 3.

Situated beside Terminal 2 is the Executive Flights Terminal, which has its own check-in facilities for premium passengers and where transportation to aircraft in any of the other terminals is by personal buggy.

The three passenger terminals have a total handling capacity of around 80 million passengers a year.

Terminals 1 and 3 cater to international passengers, whilst Terminal 2 is for budget passengers and passengers flying to the Sub-Continent and Persian Gulf region; Terminals 1 and 3 handle 85% of the passenger traffic and the Executive Flights terminal is for the higher end travellers and important guests.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 has a capacity of 15 million passengers. It is used by over 100 airlines and is connected to Concourse D by an automated people mover. It is spread over an area of 520,000 m2 (5,600,000 sq ft) and offers 221 check in counters.

The Terminal was originally built to handle 18 million passengers, however with extreme congestion at the terminal, the airport was forced to expand the terminal to accommodate with the opening of 28 remote gates. Over the years, more mobile gates were added to the airport bringing the total as of 2010 to 28.

In 2013, Dubai Airports announced a major renovation for Terminal 1 and Concourse C. The renovations include upgraded baggage systems, replacement of check-in desks and a more spacious departure hall. Arrivals will also see improvements to help reduce waiting times. The renovation was completed by the middle of 2015.

Concourse D

Planning begun for further expansion of Dubai Airport, with the construction of Terminal 4, it was revealed on the day Emirates completed its phased operations at the new Terminal 3, on 14 November 2008. According to Dubai Airport officials, plans for Terminal 4 had begun and extensions would be made to Terminal 3. These are required to bring the capacity of the airport to 80–90 million passengers a year by 2015.

In May 2011, Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports revealed the Dubai Airport masterplan. It involves the construction of Concourse D (previously Terminal 4). With a capacity of 15 million, it would bring the total capacity of the airport to 90 million passengers by 2018 – an increase of 15 million. It also will see Emirates take over the operation at Concourse C, along with concourse A and B which it will already be operating. All remaining airlines will shift to Concourse D, or move to Al Maktoum International Airport. The airport projects that international passenger and cargo traffic will increase at an average annual growth rate of 7.2% and 6.7% respectively, and that by 2020 passenger numbers at Dubai International Airport will reach 98.5 million and cargo volumes will top 4.1 million tonnes.

Concourse D will have a capacity of 15 million passengers, include 17 gates and will be connected to Terminal 1 via an automated people mover. On 6 February 2016, members of the public were invited to trial the concourse in preparation for its opening. On Wednesday, 24 February 2016, Concourse D officially opened with the first British Airways flight arriving at gate D8.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 built in 1998 has an area of 47,000 m2 (510,000 sq ft) and has a capacity of 10 million as of 2013, after several, decent reconstructions and a major expansion in 2012 which saw capacity double. It is used by over 50 airlines, mainly operating in the Persian Gulf region. Most flights operate to India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In June 2009, Terminal 2 became the hub of Air India Express and Flydubai, and the terminal houses the airline's corporate head office.

Terminal 2 has undergone a major refurbishment recently, extending check-in and boarding facilities, changing the interior and exterior décor, and offering more dining choices to passengers. Capacity was increased to allow for 10 million passengers, an increase of 5 million.

The terminal has now increased the number of facilities available to passengers. Check-in counters have increased to 37.The boarding area is more spacious, with more natural light. Also the new open boarding gates allow several flights to board simultaneously, improving passenger and aircraft movements. There are a total of 43 remote stands at the terminal. However passengers cannot move between Terminal 2 to 1 or from 2 to 3 and vice verse inside the airport. They have to make use of Taxi service or public transport available outside.

The Dubai duty-free shopping area covers 2,400 m2 (26,000 sq ft) in departures and 540 m2 (5,800 sq ft) in arrivals. [] The 3,600 m2 (39,000 sq ft) extension included a larger arrivals hall as well.

Terminal 3

The baggage claim area in Terminal 3

The partly underground Terminal 3 was built at a cost of US$8 billion, exclusively for Emirates and has a capacity of 65 million passengers. The terminal has 20 Airbus A380 gates at Concourse A and 5 at Concourse B and 2 at Concourse C. It was announced on 6 September 2012 that Terminal 3 would no longer be Emirates exclusive, as Emirates and Qantas had set up an extensive code sharing agreement. Qantas would be the second and only one of two airlines to fly in and out of Terminal 3. This deal also allows Qantas to use the A380 dedicated concourse.

Upon completion, Terminal 3 was the largest building in the world by floor space, with over 1,713,000 m2 (18,440,000 sq ft) of space, capable of handling 60 million passengers in a year. A large part is located under the taxiway area and is directly connected to Concourse B: the departure and arrival halls in the new structure are 10 m (33 ft) beneath the airport's apron. Concourse A is connected to the terminal via an APM. It has been operational since 14 October 2008, and opened in four phases to avoid collapse of baggage handling and other IT systems.

The building includes a multi level underground structure, first and business class lounges, restaurants, 180 check-in counters and 2,600 car-parking spaces. The terminal offers more than double the previous retail area of concourse C, by adding about 4,800 m2 (52,000 sq ft) and Concourse B's 10,700 m2 (115,000 sq ft) of shopping facilities.

In arrivals, the terminal contains 72 immigration counters and 14 baggage carousels. The baggage handling system – the largest system and also the deepest in the world – has a capacity to handle 8,000 bags per hour. The system includes 21 screening injection points, 49 make-up carousels, 90 km (56 mi) of conveyor belts capable of handling 15,000 items per hour at a speed of 27 km/h (17 mph) and 4,500 early baggage storage positions.

Concourse A

Concourse A part of Terminal 3, openend January 2, 2013, has a capacity of 19 million passengers and is connected to the two major public levels of Terminal 3 via an automated people mover (APM) in addition to the vehicular and baggage handling system utility tunnels for further transfer. The concourse opened on 2 January 2013 and was built at a cost of US$3.3 billion. The building, which follows the characteristic shape of Concourse B, 924 m (3,031 ft) long, 91 m (299 ft) wide and 40 m (130 ft) high in the centre from the apron level and accommodates 20 air bridge gates, of which all are capable of handling the Airbus A380-800. There are also 6 remote lounges for passengers departing on flights parked at 13 remote stands. The gates in concourse A are labelled A1- A24.

The concourse includes one 4 star hotel and one 5 star hotel, first and business class lounges, and duty-free areas. The total built-up area is 540,000 m2 (5,800,000 sq ft). The concourse allows for multi-level boarding and boasts the largest first and business class lounges in the world. Each lounge has its own dedicated floor offering direct aircraft access from the lounges. The total amount of retail space at the concourse is 11,000 m2 (120,000 sq ft), and there is also a total of 14 cafe's and restaurants.

Concourse B

Concourse B is directly connected to terminal 3 and is dedicated exclusively to Emirates. The total built up area of the concourse itself is 675,000 m2 (7,270,000 sq ft). The concourse is 945 m (3,100 ft) long, 90.8 m (298 ft) wide (at midpoint) and 49.5 m (162 ft) high. The terminal has 10 floors (4 basements, a ground floor and 5 above floors). The building currently includes a multi-level structure for departures and arrivals and includes 32 gates, labelled B1- B32. The concourse has 26 air bridge gates and 5 boarding lounges for 14 remote stands that are for Airbus A340 and Boeing 777 aircraft only. For transit passengers the concourse has 3 transfer areas and 62 transfer desks.

The concourse also includes the Emirates first and Business class lounges, and the Marhaba lounge. The First class lounge has a capacity of 1,800 passengers and a total area of 12,600 m2 (136,000 sq ft). The Business class lounge has a capacity of 3,000 passengers and a total area of 13,500 m2 (145,000 sq ft). The Marhaba lounge, the smallest lounge at the concourse has a capacity of 300 passengers at a time.

The total retail area at the concourse is 120,000 m2 (1,300,000 sq ft), which also includes 18 restaurants within the food court. There are also 3 hotels in the concourse; a 5 star hotel and a 4 star hotel.

There is a direct connection to Sheikh Rashid Terminal (Concourse C) located at the control tower structure through passenger walkways. There is also a 300-room hotel and health club including both five and four star rooms. Concourse B includes five aerobridges that are capable of handling the new Airbus A380. Emirates Airline continues to maintain a presence in Concourse C, operating 12 gates at the concourse as well as the Emirates First Class and Business Class Lounges.

Concourse C

Concourse C, is a part of Terminal 3, was opened in 2000 and used to be the largest concourse at Dubai International Airport before Concourse B in Terminal 3 opened. It incorporates 50 gates, including 28 air bridges and 22 remote gates located at a lower level of the terminal. The gates are labelled C1 – C50.

The concourse includes over 17 food and beverage cafes and restaurants, with the food court being located on the Departures Level. Also located in the concourse is a 5 star hotel and a 5,400 m2 (58,000 sq ft) duty-free shopping facility. Other facilities include prayer rooms and a medical centre. Concourse C became part of Terminal 3 in 2016 after concourse D opened.

Al Majalis VIP Pavilion and Dubai Executive Flight Terminal

The AL Majalis VIP pavilion, was exclusively built for the Dubai Royal Air Wing and opened on 1 July 2008. The entire facility is a 3,400 m2 (37,000 sq ft) terminal, and includes a Royal Majlis and an antenna farm. It also includes eight aircraft hangars with a total built up area of 69,598 m2 (749,150 sq ft) and maintenance hangars for Boeing 747s and Airbus A380s, and a 1,200 m2 (13,000 sq ft) gatehouse for VIP service. In 2010 there were 47,213 customers, 13,162 movements and in 2009, there were a total of 43,968 customers and 14,896 movements.

Executive Flight Services (EFS) caters to those passengers of high class or special importance that travel through Dubai International Airports. It is the largest dedicated business aviation terminal of its kind in the Middle East. It is located at the Dubai Airport Free Zone close to Dubai International's Terminal 2. It only caters to private flights exclusive to the terminal. Airlines operating from the terminal are expected to maintain a lounge. In 2010 EFS handled 7,889 aircraft movements and 25,177 passengers.

The centre itself is located close to Terminal 2, and includes a 5,500 m2 (59,000 sq ft) two-storey main building, a 3,700 m2 (40,000 sq ft) hangar, a 3,700 m2 (40,000 sq ft) ramp area for aircraft parking and a special VIP car park for long term parking. The centre also has its own immigration and customs sections, its own Dubai Duty Free outlet, a fully equipped business and conference centre, eight luxury private lounges and a limousine service between aircraft and the terminal. [] The ramp area of the terminal can accommodate up to 22 small sized private jets, between 8 and 12 medium-sized jets or up to 4 large sized jets such as a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), the Boeing 727 or the Airbus A319. The facility makes EFC the largest dedicated business aviation terminal in the Middle East.

Cargo Mega Terminal

The cargo village at Dubai International Airport is one of the world's largest and most central cargo hubs, with most of the cargo for Asia and Africa coming through the facility. Forecasts in 2004 for cargo growth predicted that additional major cargo handling facilities were needed to satisfy demands. Plans were put in place to construct the first stage of the cargo mega terminal, which by 2018 will have the ability to handle three million tons of freight. Phase 1 of the cargo mega terminal was completed by 2004 and the next phase of expansion was scheduled for completion in late 2007. Presently the airport has a cargo capacity of 2.5 million tonnes, and will be expanded to handle 3 million.

Flower centre

Dubai airport has constructed a flower centre to handle flower imports and exports, as Dubai is a major hub for the import and export of flowers and the airport required a specialist facility since these products need special conditions. The flower centre's first phase was completed in 2004 at a cost of $50 million.

The flower centre is not yet finished and construction will continue in another two phases. The centre will offer an enhanced level of automation over a five to seven-year period for processing flower products. It will begin with a semi-automated system with manual sorting before eventually becoming fully automated.

The centre when completed and functioning will have a floor area of approximately 100,000 m2 including different export chambers and offices. The handling capacity of the centre is expected to be more than 300,000 tonnes of product throughput per annum. The entire facility (with the exception of the offices) will be maintained at an ambient temperature of just 2 to 4 °C (36 to 39 °F).

Runways

Dubai Airport has two closely spaced parallel runways, 12R/30L is 4,450 m × 60 m (14,600 ft × 200 ft), 12L/30R is 4,000 m × 60 m (13,120 ft × 200 ft). The gap between the centrelines of the two runways is 385m.The runways are equipped with four sets of ILS to guide landing aircraft safely under very poor weather conditions. The runways were expanded to accommodate the Airbus A380 which came into service in 2007. In 2009, it was announced that the airport installed a Category III landing system, allowing planes to land in low visibility conditions, such as fog. This system will be the first of its kind in the United Arab Emirates.

In 2013 Dubai Airports announced an 80-day runway refurbishment program which started on 1 May 2014 and was completed on 21 July 2014. The northern runway was resurfaced while lighting upgrades and additional taxiways were built on the southern runway to help boost its capacity. The southern runway was closed from 1 May to 31 May 2014, while the northern runway was closed from 31 May to 20 July 2014. Due to extra congestion on one runway, all freighter, charter and general aviation flights were diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport. Flights at DXB were reduced by 26 percent and 14 airlines moved to Al Maktoum International Airport whilst the runways works were being done. Emirates cut 5000 flights and grounded over 20 aircraft during the period.

Accommodating the Airbus A380

With Dubai-based Emirates being one of the launch customers for the Airbus A380 and also the largest customer, Dubai Airport needed to expand its existing facilities to accommodate the very large aircraft. The Department of Civil Aviation spent $120 million in upgrading both of its terminals and airport infrastructure, including enlarged gate holdrooms, new finger piers, an enlarged runway, new airbridges and extended baggage belt carousels from the normal 70 to 90 m (230 to 300 ft). Dubai Airport also invested $3.5 billion into a new Concourse A, exclusively for handling Emirates A380s. With the changes made, the airport does not expect embarking and disembarking passengers and baggage from the A380 to take longer than it does for Boeing 747-400s, which carry fewer passengers. On 16 July 2008, Dubai Airport unveiled the first of two specially-built gates capable of handling the aircraft. Costing $10 million, the gates will enable passengers to get on the upper cabin of the new 555-seater aircraft directly from the gate hold rooms. The hold rooms themselves have been enlarged to cater for the larger number of passengers flying the A380s. In addition to the two gates at Terminal 1, five more A380-capable gates were opened at concourse B on 14 October 2008. Concourse A opened on 2 January 2013.

Labor controversy

Most of the staff employed at construction sites across the country are foreign short-term workers from neighboring poorer Arab states, India and South-East Asia. This is because generally many UAE locals prefer to work in government companies, instead of private firms or blue collar jobs Workers building a new terminal at Dubai International Airport went on a sympathy strike. Another strike took place in October 2007. 4,000 strikers were arrested. Most of them were released some days later and those who were not local were then deported from Dubai.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines Destinations
Aeroflot Moscow–Sheremetyevo
African Express Airways Berbera, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta, Wajir
Air Algérie Algiers
Air Astana Almaty, Astana
Airblue Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan
Air Canada Toronto–Pearson
Air China Beijing–Capital, Chongqing
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Air India Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Visakhapatnam
Air India Express Amritsar, Delhi, Jaipur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirapalli
Air Kyrgyzstan Bishkek
Ariana Afghan Airlines Kabul, Kandahar
Azerbaijan Airlines Baku
Biman Bangladesh Airlines Chittagong, Dhaka
British Airways London–Heathrow
Caspian Airlines Tabriz, Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Cathay Pacific Bahrain, Hong Kong
Cebu Pacific Manila
China Eastern Airlines Kunming, Shanghai–Pudong
China Southern Airlines Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Ürümqi, Wuhan
Daallo Airlines Hargeisa, Mogadishu
EgyptAir Alexandria–El Nouzha, Cairo
Emirates Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Adelaide, Ahmedabad, Algiers, Amman–Queen Alia, Amsterdam, Athens, Auckland, Baghdad, Bahrain, Bangalore, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Barcelona, Basra, Beijing–Capital, Beirut, Birmingham, Bologna, Boston, Brisbane, Brussels, Budapest, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Cairo, Cape Town, Casablanca, Cebu, Chennai, Chicago–O'Hare, Christchurch, Clark, Colombo, Conakry, Copenhagen, Dakar, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dammam, Dar es Salaam, Delhi, Denpasar, Dhaka, Dublin, Durban, Düsseldorf, Entebbe, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow, Guangzhou, Hamburg, Hanoi, Harare, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Houston–Intercontinental, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Istanbul–Atatürk, Jakarta–Soekarno–Hatta, Jeddah, Johannesburg–O.R. Tambo, Kabul, Karachi, Khartoum, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Kuala Lumpur–International, Kuwait, Lagos, Lahore, Larnaca, Lisbon, London–Gatwick, London–Heathrow, Los Angeles, Luanda, Lusaka, Lyon, Madrid, Mahé, Malé, Malta, Manchester, Manila, Mashhad, Mauritius, Medina, Melbourne, Milan–Malpensa, Moscow–Domodedovo, Multan, Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta, New York-JFK, Newark, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nice, Orlando, Osaka–Kansai, Oslo–Gardermoen, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Perth, Peshawar, Phuket, Phnom Penh, Prague, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Riyadh, Rome–Fiumicino, Saint Petersburg, San Francisco, São Paulo–Guarulhos, Seattle/Tacoma, Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Pudong, Sialkot, Singapore, Stockholm–Arlanda, Sydney, Taipei–Taoyuan, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Thiruvananthapuram, Tokyo–Haneda, Tokyo–Narita, Toronto–Pearson, Tunis, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw–Chopin, Washington–Dulles, Yangon, Yinchuan, Zhengzhou, Zagreb, Zürich
Enter Air Seasonal: Katowice, Warsaw–Chopin
Eritrean Airlines Asmara
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa
Euro-Asia Air Atyrau
Finnair Seasonal: Helsinki
flydubai Abha, Addis Ababa, Ahmedabad, Ahvaz, Alexandria–Borg el Arab, Almaty, Amman–Queen Alia, Arar, Ashgabat, Asmara, Astana, Baghdad, Bahrain, Baku, Bandar Abbas, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Basra, Beirut, Belgrade, Bishkek, Bratislava, Bucharest–Otopeni, Chennai, Chittagong, Colombo, Dammam, Dar es Salaam, Delhi, Dhaka, Djibouti, Dushanbe, Entebbe, Erbil, Faisalabad, Gassim, Ha'il, Hambantota, Hargeisa, Hyderabad, Isfahan, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen, Jizan, Jeddah, Juba, Kabul, Karachi, Kathmandu, Kazan, Khartoum, Kiev–Zhulyany, Kochi, Krasnodar, Kuwait, Lar, Lucknow, Makhachkala (begins 31 October 2017) Malé, Mashhad, Medina, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow–Vnukovo, Multan, Mumbai, Muscat, Najaf, Odessa, Podgorica, Port Sudan, Prague, Quetta, Riyadh, Rostov-on-Don, Sakakah, Salalah, Samara, Sarajevo, Shiraz, Sialkot, Skopje, Sofia, Sylhet, Tabriz, Tabuk, Ta'if, Tbilisi, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Thiruvananthapuram, Ufa (resumes 31 October 2017), Voronezh (begins 29 October 2017), Yanbu, Yekaterinburg, Yerevan, Zanzibar
Seasonal: Batumi, Qabala, Tivat
Flynas Dammam, Jeddah, Medine, Riyadh
Gryphon Airlines Bagram, Kandahar, Kuwait, Ras al Khaimah
Gulf Air Bahrain
IndiGo Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram
Iran Air Bandar Abbas, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Iran Aseman Airlines Abadan, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Lar, Mashhad, Shiraz, Tehran–Imam Khomeini, Zahedan
Iraqi Airways Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, Najaf
Jazeera Airways Kuwait
Jet Airways Delhi, Kochi, Mangalore, Mumbai
Jordan Aviation Amman–Queen Alia, Aqaba
Jubba Airways Bosaso, Hargeisa, Mogadishu
Kam Air Kabul
Kenya Airways Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Kish Air Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Chabahr, Kish, Shiraz
KLM Amsterdam
Korean Air Seoul–Incheon
Kuwait Airways Kuwait
Lufthansa Frankfurt
Mahan Air Mashhad, Shiraz, Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Middle East Airlines Beirut
Nepal Airlines Kathmandu
Norwegian Air Shuttle Seasonal: Copenhagen, Helsinki, Stockholm–Arlanda
Oman Air Muscat, Salalah
Pakistan International Airlines Dera Ghazi Khan, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta
Pegasus Airlines Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen
Philippine Airlines Manila
Primera Air Gothenburg, Malmö
Qantas London–Heathrow, Melbourne, Sydney (all end 25 March 2018)
Qeshm Airlines Isfahan, Qeshm, Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Royal Brunei Airlines Bandar Seri Begawan, London–Heathrow
Royal Jordanian Amman–Queen Alia
Seasonal: Aqaba
RwandAir Kigali, Mombasa
S7 Airlines Novosibirsk
Safi Airways Bagram, Kabul
SalamAir Muscat (begins 29 October 2017)
Saudia Dammam, Gassim, Jeddah, Medina, Riyadh
Shaheen Air International Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan
Sichuan Airlines Chengdu, Yinchuan
Singapore Airlines Singapore
SmartWings
operated by Travel Service Airlines
Ostrava, Prague
Somon Air Dushanbe, Jeddah
SpiceJet Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Delhi, Jaipur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai, Pune
SriLankan Airlines Colombo
Swiss International Air Lines Muscat, Zürich
Syrian Air Damascus
Taban Air Mashhad
Thai Airways Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi
Transavia Seasonal: Amsterdam
Turkish Airlines Istanbul–Atatürk, Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen
Turkmenistan Airlines Ashgabat
Ukraine International Airlines Kiev–Boryspil
Ural Airlines Chelyabinsk (begins 30 October 2017), Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg
Seasonal: Moscow–Domodedovo, Samara
Uzbekistan Airways Tashkent
Virgin Atlantic London–Heathrow
Yamal Airlines Seasonal: Tyumen
Yemenia Aden
Notes
  • ^1 Biman Bangladesh Airlines' flight from Dubai to Dhaka makes a stop at Sylhet. However, the flight from Dhaka to Dubai is non-stop.

Cargo

See also Al Maktoum International Airport

Airlines Destinations
Air Cargo Abu Dhabi
Air France Cargo Paris–Charles de Gaulle
ASL Airlines Belgium Delhi, Liege
Atlas Air
operated by Emirates SkyCargo
Adelaide
Cargolux Hong Kong, Komatsu, Luxembourg
Coyne Airways Baghdad, Bagram, Balad, Djibouti, Erbil, Kabul, Kandahar, Sana'a
DHL Aviation
operated by AeroLogic
Leipzig/Halle
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa
FedEx Express Athens, Bangalore, Chengdu, Delhi, Goa, Hong Kong, Milan–Malpensa, Mumbai, Paris–Charles de Gaulle
FitsAir Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, Bagram, Balad, Colombo, Erbil, Herat, Jalalabad, Kabul, Kandahar, Lashkar Gah, Sharana, Sulaymaniyah, Tarin Kowt, Thumrait
Iran Air Cargo Tehran–Imam Khomeini
Polar Air Cargo Seoul–Incheon
Royal Airlines Karachi
Royal Jordanian Cargo Amman–Queen Alia
SAS Cargo Group Gothenburg Landvetter
Shaheen Air International Cargo Karachi
Silk Way Airlines Baku
Star Air Aviation Karachi
TAROM Bucharest
TCS Couriers Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad
UPS Airlines Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Clark, Cologne/Bonn, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Singapore, Sydney

Services

Aviation services

Listed in the following categories:
Post a comment
Tips & Hints
Arrange By:
Lufthansa
16 July 2014
Dubai is a city of superlatives. The places of interest are bigger, more fantastic and more impressive than anywhere else in the world. Experience the city with our Lufthansa Travel Guide for Dubai.
Khaled ☤
27 September 2012
Terminals 1 (all airlines) and 3 (emirates) are huge so prepare yourselves for some walking! Facilities are amazing and the duty free has everything u'll need. Terminal 2 (fly dubai) is small and old.
Simple Discoveries
6 September 2016
Shopping mall meets airport meets architectural marvel. Just be sure which terminal you're coming in to or out of. FlyDubai is Terminal 2 & is NOT connected!
Yasser G
15 February 2013
Very sophisticated airport, definitely one if the best i have seen. The information center is your guide to anywhere even you can scan your boarding to see what gate and route to it. Free WiFi
Aashna S
10 January 2018
Very clean airport. Fantastic food options. Alcohol is served at the airport. No flight announcements which keeps the airport peaceful. Just don't miss your flight!
Lina
14 February 2019
WiFi, ATMs, duty free, kids area, baggage storage, prayer rooms, showers, pharmacies, lounges, cafes and restaurants.. and many other services and facilities.
Load more comments
foursquare.com

Hotels nearby

See all hotels See all
Majan Studio in Madison Residences

starting $0

Sama Sama - Al Barari

starting $0

Al Habtoor Polo Resort

starting $120

Arjan,Lincoln Park,311, Studio beds,

starting $0

Luxurious Villa For A higher Quality of Living Polo Homes

starting $0

Arabian Ranches Golf Club

starting $68

Recommended sights nearby

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
D1 (building)

D1 (meaning Dubai Number One) is an 80-floor residential skyscraper

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Dubai Dolphinarium

Dubai Dolphinarium is the first fully air-conditioned indoor

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Adventureland (United Arab Emirates)

Adventureland is a family entertainment center in Sharjah, UAE,

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Dubai Opera House

The Dubai Opera House is the cultural centre of the proposed Lagoons

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Dubai Museum

Dubai Museum (Arabic: متحف دبي‎) is the main museum in Dubai, United A

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Hindu Temple, Dubai

Hindu Temple, Dubai (referred to locally as Shiva and Krishna Mandir)

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Dubai Gold Souk

Dubai Gold Souk (Arabic: دبي سوق الذهب‎) or Gold Souk, is a traditiona

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Saeed Al Maktoum House

Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House is a historic building and former

Similar tourist attractions

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Singapore Changi Airport

Singapore Changi Airport Шаблон:Airport codes, or simply Changi Airpo

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Hamad International Airport

Hamad International Airport (IATA: DOH, ICAO: OTHH) (Arabic: مطار حمد

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Incheon International Airport

Incheon International Airport (IIA) Шаблон:Airport codes (한국어.

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
New Chitose Airport

New Chitose Airport (新千歳空港, Shin-Chitose Kūkō) (IATA: CTS, ICAO: RJCC)

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Antalya Airport

Antalya Airport Шаблон:Airport codes is Шаблон:Convert northeast o

See all similar places