---
title: "Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) expansion"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/atlas/projects/al-maktoum-international-airport-expansion
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/atlas/projects/al-maktoum-international-airport-expansion.md
type: atlas
description: "Dubai approved designs for a Dh128 billion passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport in April 2024, with construction starting the same month. The first phase is planned for 150 million passengers a year, rising to 260 million when all phases are complete. Dubai Airports expects operations at DXB to move to the new airport in phases over about a decade."
updated: 2026-11-12
publisher: "UAE Property Agents (Omnia)"
language: en-GB
usage: "You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting."
---

# Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) expansion

> Dubai approved designs for a Dh128 billion passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport in April 2024, with construction starting the same month. The first phase is planned for 150 million passengers a year, rising to 260 million when all phases are complete. Dubai Airports expects operations at DXB to move to the new airport in phases over about a decade.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Status | Under construction (designs approved and construction started April 2024) |
| Type | airport |
| Emirate | dubai |
| Budget | Dh128 billion ($34.8 billion) for the new passenger terminal ([The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2024/04/29/dubai-to-scrap-dual-airport-operations-once-move-to-mega-hub-at-al-maktoum-is-complete/)) |

## Timeline

- 28 April 2024: Dubai government approves terminal designs and construction starts. [The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2024/04/29/dubai-to-scrap-dual-airport-operations-once-move-to-mega-hub-at-al-maktoum-is-complete/).
- 2034 (approximately; 'about a decade' from April 2024 as published): Transfer of operations from DXB, phased, completing in about a decade (Dubai Airports CEO). [The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2024/04/29/dubai-to-scrap-dual-airport-operations-once-move-to-mega-hub-at-al-maktoum-is-complete/).

## Key facts

- **Capacity**: 150 million passengers a year in the first phase; 260 million when all phases are complete. [The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2024/04/29/dubai-to-scrap-dual-airport-operations-once-move-to-mega-hub-at-al-maktoum-is-complete/).
- **Gates and runways**: 400 gates and five parallel runways. [The National (photo caption)](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2024/04/29/dubai-to-scrap-dual-airport-operations-once-move-to-mega-hub-at-al-maktoum-is-complete/).
- **Area**: 70 sq km, five times the size of DXB. [The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2024/04/29/dubai-to-scrap-dual-airport-operations-once-move-to-mega-hub-at-al-maktoum-is-complete/).
- **DXB future**: DXB expected to close once the transition completes, enabling redevelopment of the Al Garhoud area. [The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2024/04/29/dubai-to-scrap-dual-airport-operations-once-move-to-mega-hub-at-al-maktoum-is-complete/).
- **Area**: 70 square kilometres, five times the size of Dubai International. [The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2024/04/29/dubai-to-scrap-dual-airport-operations-once-move-to-mega-hub-at-al-maktoum-is-complete/).
- **Capacity**: Initially 150 million passengers a year, rising to 260 million once all phases are complete. [The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2024/04/29/dubai-to-scrap-dual-airport-operations-once-move-to-mega-hub-at-al-maktoum-is-complete/).
- **Gates and runways**: 400 gates and five parallel runways (photo caption). [The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2024/04/29/dubai-to-scrap-dual-airport-operations-once-move-to-mega-hub-at-al-maktoum-is-complete/).
- **Dubai International**: Dual airport operations to end; the move would open the Al Garhoud area around DXB for redevelopment. [The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2024/04/29/dubai-to-scrap-dual-airport-operations-once-move-to-mega-hub-at-al-maktoum-is-complete/).

## Stations

1. Al Maktoum International Airport (24.9091455, 55.171775)

Single point for the existing airport aerodrome feature; the expansion footprint is not mapped.

## Areas affected and nearby

Areas a source places on or beside the project, or within 5 km of a mapped point. Each change compares the average of everything registered in one period with the period before. It moves with the mix of homes sold as well as with prices, so it is not like-for-like growth.

| Area | Why it is listed | Price per sq ft, 12 months | Price per sq ft, 3 years | New-contract rent, 12 months |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Dubai South](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/atlas/areas/dubai-south) | Proximity only: the OpenStreetMap point for the area is 1.2 km from the OpenStreetMap point for the airport (distance calculated by us). No source names the area as affected. | +11.6% | +102.6% (mix shift: 100% or more, read with care) | +0.2% |
| [Emaar South](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/atlas/areas/emaar-south) | Proximity only: the OpenStreetMap point for the area is 6.5 km from the OpenStreetMap point for the airport (distance calculated by us). No source names the area as affected. | +7.4% | +81.3% | +1.6% |

Changes: Source: Property Finder, from Dubai Land Department records.

## Questions and answers

### What is the status of Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) expansion?

Under construction (designs approved and construction started April 2024).

### How much does Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) expansion cost?

Dh128 billion ($34.8 billion) for the new passenger terminal, according to The National.

### When is Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) expansion due to open or be completed?

Transfer of operations from DXB, phased, completing in about a decade (Dubai Airports CEO): 2034 (approximately; 'about a decade' from April 2024 as published), according to The National.

### Which areas are near Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) expansion?

Dubai South and Emaar South.

## Sources

- [The National: Dubai to scrap dual airport operations once move to mega hub at Al Maktoum is complete](https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2024/04/29/dubai-to-scrap-dual-airport-operations-once-move-to-mega-hub-at-al-maktoum-is-complete/), read 12 November 2026
- [Wikipedia (pointer only): Al Maktoum International Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Maktoum_International_Airport), read 12 November 2026

## How the atlas is built

- Every figure is copied as published by a named source, with its link, the period it covers and the date we read it. Nothing is estimated, interpolated, averaged or rounded.
- Dubai price, rent and change figures come from Property Finder's transaction pages, which publish averages of Dubai Land Department registered sales and tenancy contracts for the last 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 3 years, with a change against the period before.
- Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah figures come from Bayut's asking-price index: advertised prices, not completed sales, which usually sit above transaction prices.
- ValuStrat readings are valuation-based and appear only where the press reported a community by name.
- Sources measure different things. Compare areas within one source and one period, never across sources.
- Projects and regeneration zones come from official releases where we could read them, otherwise from The National, Khaleej Times or Gulf News. A project is listed against an area when a source places it there, or when its mapped point is within 5 km of the area's point.
- Price effects of projects are published claims, attributed to the publisher. The atlas never says that a project caused a price change.

Area, station and project points are from OpenStreetMap contributors, under the Open Database Licence. Base map tiles are from Esri. Property Finder figures are Property Finder's published aggregates of Dubai Land Department records, quoted as headline figures with a link to each page. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL: https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright.

---

Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/atlas/projects/al-maktoum-international-airport-expansion. Published by UAE Property Agents, Omnia Capital Group. You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting.