Dubai International Will Become The World’s Largest Airport

Dubai International (DXB) is set to become the world’s largest airport by international passenger volumes in the not so distant future, according to its chief executive.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of state-owned Dubai Airports, told reporters on the sidelines of today’s Dubai Airshow media event that the company had invested significantly in DXB and was committed to it despite the recent opening of Dubai World Central.

“Dubai International Airport will be the largest airport by passenger volumes of international travel within a very short space of time, and I don’t think the government is going to walk away from that level of investment, that’s for sure,” he said.

Dubai International’s rise is continuing to exceed expectations with 16 per cent rolling 12 months growth and 66 million passengers expected to pass through the airport this year.

In contrast the recently opened Dubai World Central airport has a starting capacity of five to seven million passengers in its first phase.

The site does, however, have significant potential for expansion due to its size, at around 140 square kilometres.

Emirates Sky Cargo is expected to divert its entire operation to DWC next year, according to Griffiths, and will be transferring its dedicated cargo flights permanently to the airport.

A maintenance operation on Dubai International’s two runways over 80 days from May 1 to July 20 next year is also expected to see some airlines divert their flights to DWC.