Al Maktoum International Airport

Al Maktoum International Airport, branded as Dubai World Central, is the long-term strategic replacement for Dubai International (DXB) and — per the master plan announced in 2024 — the future largest passenger airport on the planet, targeting eventual capacity of 260M annual passengers across five parallel runways and five terminals. As of 2026 the airport is operating at a fraction of that ultimate scale, but already handles 168 routes across 119 destinations through 51 airlines in its current role as Dubai's dedicated low-cost and charter gateway, 23 mi (37 km) southwest of downtown Dubai at 114 ft (35 m) elevation in the Jebel Ali logistics zone. Current commercial operations are anchored by Wizz Air Abu Dhabi alternates, leisure charter operators from the UK, Germany, Russia, and the CIS, and general-aviation/VIP traffic — including one of the world's busiest large-cabin business-jet bases. DWC handled the bulk of 2020 FIFA-era relief traffic when DXB was capacity-constrained and continues to serve as overflow for Emirates and Flydubai during peak seasons. Cargo is central to the site's current economics: DWC is one of the Middle East's largest dedicated cargo airports, with integrator operations by Emirates SkyCargo and major freight forwarders. The airport operates one long runway (12/30) at 14,764 ft (4,500 m) — one of the longest in the Middle East, designed for fully-loaded A380 and 777F widebody departures — alongside a shorter 6,030 ft (1,838 m) general-aviation strip (13/31). Passenger operations currently run from a single terminal sized for roughly 26M annual throughput; the announced USD 35B expansion will add a new Terminal 1 complex projected to open progressively from 2032, at which point all Emirates and Flydubai operations will shift from DXB and DXB will close to commercial traffic.