Expansion of Al Maktoum Airport, Sign of Dubai Recovering from Two Crises

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The project was revealed shortly after Dubai experienced the worst flood in the last 75 years. Almost all of Dubai, including Dubai International Airport, was submerged for several days.

As a result, chaos has struck flights to and from various countries. These flights use Dubai as a transit airport. Many passengers complain that their baggage is still unclear about its fate.

Flooding in Dubai on April 18, 2024

Another impact of flooding is losses of up to billions of US dollars. Because many luxury cars and various other luxury objects were submerged.

Delayed crisis

Dubai and its parent country, the United Arab Emirates, have ordered an evaluation of their infrastructure following the flood from April 16-18, 2024. After that, Dubai continued with another move: announcing the expansion of Al Maktoum Airport.

Officially opened in 2010, the airport on the southern side of Dubai is now equipped with two runways. Until now, the airport has been used more often as a parking location for aircraft and for serving cargo flights.

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In the future, the airport will be equipped with three additional runways. The terminal capacity will be increased to accommodate up to 290 million passengers per year. A total of 400 departure gates will be available.

When it was built in 2007, Al Maktoum Airport was actually designed to have a capacity of hundreds of millions of passengers per year. However, Dubai was also affected by the 2008 financial crisis. Instead of developing, Dubai sought bailout from Abu Dhabi, which is the capital of the UAE.

Therefore, when it was inaugurated in 2010, Al Maktoum Airport only had one runway. However, the airport was planned to be part of a new area in Jabal Ali. Now, the area is known for "The Palm," which is a cluster of man-made islands. Its name corresponds to the appearance of the islands when seen from above, resembling a palm tree.

Dubai Expo is also located on the outskirts of Jabal Ali. In a statement announcing the expansion of Al Maktoum Airport, Sheikh Mohammed mentioned the need for expansion.

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Nowadays, the city center of Dubai is considered too crowded and difficult to develop. That is why development is now directed towards the Jabal Ali area.

Some developers have offered houses and business locations around the Dubai Expo and Al Maktoum Airport. "As we build the city around the airport in South Dubai, demand for housing for millions of people will follow. The area will become a place for world-class companies in the logistics and air transportation sector," said Sheik Mohammed.

Satellite imagery records the conditions of Al Maktoum Airport, Dubai, on April 26 2024.

The development of Al Maktoum International Airport will complement the expansion, which serves as a new indicator that Dubai has overcome the impact of the 2008 crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dubai Civil Aviation Head Sheikh Ahmed Saeed Al Maktoum stated that the first phase of development will take place within a decade. The first phase results will enable Al Maktoum Airport to serve up to 150 million passengers per year.

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As a comparison, Dubai International Airport has a capacity of 120 million passengers per year. In 2023, Dubai Airport served 86.9 million passengers. With two runways, Dubai Airport was recorded as the busiest airport in 2023.

Meanwhile in 2019, the airport served 86.3 million passengers. Meanwhile, in 2019, there were 89.1 million passengers served by the airport.

Dubai recorded 17.1 million tourists staying there in 2023. The hotel occupancy rate reached 77 percent throughout 2023. (AFP/AP)