Dubai International Airport (; ) is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic as of 2025. It is also the busiest airport in the Middle East as of 2025, the second-busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic as of 2025, the busiest airport for Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 movements, and the airport with the highest average number of passengers per flight. In 2025, the airport handled over 95.2 million passengers, over 2.2 million tonnes of cargo and registered over 454,000 aircraft movements.
The airport is situated in the Al Garhoud district, east of the city center of Dubai and spread over an area of of land. Terminal 3 is the fourth-largest building in the world by floor space and the largest airport terminal in the world. In July 2019, the airport installed the largest solar energy system in the region's airports as part of Dubai's goal to reduce 30 per cent of the city energy consumption by 2030.
Emirates' main hub is DXB. It is the primary operator from terminal 3, which consists of three concourses. The Emirates hub is the largest airline hub in the Middle East; Emirates handles 51% of all passenger traffic and accounts for approximately 42% of all aircraft movements at the airport. The airport is also the base for low-cost carrier Flydubai, which handles 13% of passenger traffic and 25% of aircraft movements at DXB. The airport has a total capacity of 115 million passengers annuallyhttps://www.daep.gov.ae/our-airports/dubai-international-dxb. As of January 2025, over 8,500 weekly flights are operated by more than 100 airlines to over 270 destinations across all inhabited continents. Almost half of the travelers using the airport are connecting passengers.
In 2014, the airport indirectly supported over 400,000 jobs and contributed over US$26.7 billion to Dubai's economy, representing around 27% of Dubai's GDP and 21% of employment in the city.
DXB is planned to close once the expanded Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) is fully operational; DWC will supersede DXB as Dubai's main airport.
History The history of civil aviation in Dubai started in July 1937 when an air agreement was signed for a flying boat base for aircraft of Imperial Airways with the rental of the base at about 440 rupees per month – this included the guards' wages. The Empire Flying Boats started operating once a week flying eastbound to Karachi from the UK and westbound 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 on 30 September 1960, at which time it was able to handle aircraft the size of a Douglas DC-3 on a runway made of compacted sand. Three turning-areas, an apron and small terminal completed the airport that was constructed by Costain and designed by International Aeradio.
In May 1963, construction of a asphalt runway started. This new runway, alongside the original sand runway and taxiway opened in May 1965, together with several new extensions to the terminal Building, hangars were erected, and Airport and Navigational aids were installed. The installation of the lighting system continued after the official opening and was completed in August 1965. During the second half of the 1960s several extensions, equipment upgrades like a VHF omnidirectional range (VOR), an instrument landing system (ILS), and new buildings were constructed. By 1969, the airport was served by 9 airlines serving some 20 destinations.
The inauguration on 15 May 1966 was marked by the visits of the first big jets, De Havilland Comets of Middle East Airlines and Kuwait Airways.
The advent of wide-body aircraft required further airport development in the 1970s 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 (now Terminal 1) consisting of a three-story building long with an enclosed floor area of . A new control tower was also constructed.
It consisted of a series of slender columns which at their tops spread to form squares and resemble stylized palm trees. The terminal also included four inclined piers which gave access to the apron via helical ramps at their outer ends. At the eastern end of the building was a golden dome-shaped VIP suite. In the terminal, passenger handling on the main, or first floor, operational services at ground level, and public lounges and restaurants on the top floor. This new terminal opened on 15 May 1971.
The original terminal building, which was opened in 1960, was abandoned after the construction of Terminal 1 in 1971 and was demolished in the early 1990s. The terminal was located a short way west of Terminal 1 and is now an aircraft parking area.
Expansion continued in the early 1970s including ILS Category II equipment, lengthening the existing runway to , 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.
In 1971, the new precision category 2 Approach and Runway Lighting System was commissioned. The construction of the Airport Fire Station and the installation of the generators were completed in December 1971 and were fully operational in March 1972. The ruler of Dubai also commissioned and inaugurated the Long-range Surveillance System on 19 June 1973.
With the expansion of the Airport Fire Services, it became necessary to find more suitable hangars. A hangar-style building was made available for use at the end of 1976. This building was strategically located midway between the runway ends to facilitate efficient operations. Additionally, a new building was constructed to house the Airport Maintenance Engineer, Electronics Engineering section, and Stores unit.
In December 1978, expansion and refurbishment of the Airport Restaurant and Transit Lounge, including a new kitchen, were completed .
In April 1984, a new runway was completed three months ahead of schedule. This runway, located 360 metres north of and parallel to the existing runway, was equipped with the latest meteorological, airfield lighting, and instrument landing systems, giving the airport a Category II classification.
By this time the airport was served by 29 airlines.
Several extensions and upgrades were also made to the terminal facilities and supporting systems. In December 1980, the airport became an ordinary member of the Airports Council International (ACI). The decline of Karachi International Airport is often attributed to the traffic Dubai diverted from it.
In 1980, a new terminal and an expansion of the current terminal was planned, with the new terminal set to open in 1981. The new terminal never materialized, but the expansion of the current terminal went ahead.
During the 1980s, Dubai was a stopping point for airlines such as Air India, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, and others traveling between Asia and Europe that needed a refueling point in the Persian Gulf. This was made redundant with the availability of Russian airspace after 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 ability to fly between Europe and Southeast Asia nonstop. British Airways flights from Islamabad to Manchester also stopped for short times during the 1980s, with no requirement for passengers to get off.
Expansion
The opening of Terminal 2 in 1998 saw the first step of phase 1 of the new development master plan launched in 1997. In the second stage, Concourse 1 (now Concourse C), named Sheikh Rashid Terminal opened in April 2000. The concourse is in length connects to the check-in area via a tunnel containing moving walkways (conveyor belt/travelators). It also contains a hotel, business center, health club, exchanges, dining and entertainment facilities, internet services, a medical center, a post office, and a prayer room. The next step was runway reconfiguration, 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 the import and export of flowers and the airport required a specialist facility since flowers need special conditions.
By the 2000s, according to satellite imagery from the early 2000s, the original 12,500 feet runway had closed and was used as a taxiway and some of it was used as part of the apron of Concourse C. It was closed because of the construction of Concourse C in 1996–2000. The second runway, built in 1984 was shifted further east by 2007.
In 2004, construction of Terminal 3 began 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 flight 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 annual passenger capacity by 47 million, bringing the total annual capacity 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 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 phase 2 development, which includes the construction of Concourse 3. This will be a smaller version of Concourse 2, connected to Terminal 3.
As part of the expansion, the airport now handles at least 75 million passengers per annum, an increase of 19 million, with the opening of Concourse 3, part of Terminal 3. 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 passengers annually, an increase of 2 million, taking the airport's total capacity to 62 million passengers. Terminal 2 capacity was planned 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 will be built in the long term. The 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 handle at least 75–80 million passengers and over 5 million tonnes of cargo.