World's busiest airport set to close forever after 65 years
An airport that opened in 1960 and handles more than 95 million passengers a year is set to close its doors within the next nine years.
Dubai International Airport (DBX) is pencilled to close for good in 2035, and all flights will be transferred to the Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), which is around 22 miles away.
The Al Maktoum International Airport, which opened for cargo flights in 2010 and passengers in 2013, is currently being renovated, with a whopping price tag of £28 billion.
Once complete, the new airport will become the world's largest air hub.
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Flights that currently depart and land at DBX will then move to DWC.
These include flights with the likes of Emirates and flydubai.
The Dubai World Central airport is predicted to be able to handle some 260 million passengers a year, which will make it the largest in the world.
That's in comparison to the 95 million a year that Dubai International Airport currently hosts.
DXB cannot be expanded where it is currently, as the airport is situated between two major roads and a busy neighbourhood area.
The new airport will have five parallel runways, as well as up to 400 aircraft gates (so you'll need plenty of time to find yours!)
Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) says the airport will enter 'a new era of smart airport systems and passenger-centric facilities, taking travellers to worldwide destinations in the most awe-inspiring and comfortable way possible'.
Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths added: “There is little sense in operating two major hubs with such close proximity to one another.
“We will move every single service to DWC. By then, every single asset at DXB will be close to the end of its useful operating role, so the economics of keeping DXB open will not be possible unless we invest a huge amount of money.
“Within two years, we’ll cross that 100 million mark and then, of course, we’re looking towards 114 million people coming through DXB by 2031.
"And then, in 2032, that big moment where we achieve the world’s largest transition to the world’s largest airport from the world’s largest airport. That will be a major milestone.
“And, of course, all the technology we’re trialling today will be translated on an industrial scale into that fantastic new airport.
“If we can achieve what we’re talking about today, we can make it intimate on a large scale. We want to make every one of those initial 150 million people feel as though they are the most special people at that point in the journey.
"And, of course, building the world’s largest airport at 260 million capacity will happen in about 2057. That’ll be another major milestone because, by then, I’ll be 100 years old and, if there are enough spare parts to keep me going, I want to make sure that I’m around to welcome that 260 millionth customer through the world’s largest airport."
All flights are expected to have transferred over by 2032, with DBX closing in 2035, however the airport will not be fully finished until at least 2057.
Topics: Travel, World News
Jen Thomas