The £2.1bn mega-project to build world's biggest airport in city loved by British tourists

A huge new project to build the world's biggest airport is underway in a city British tourists love, costing a whopping £2.1billion.

As Dubai International Airport (DXB) approaches its maximum capacity, the UAE is in the process of formulating plans for its successor, set to be constructed on the outskirts of the city and anticipated to commence operations in the 2030s.

The planned new airport for Dubai essentially already exists in the form of Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), situated 23 miles southwest of the city, predominantly catering to freight planes.

Currently, a few passenger airlines, predominantly of Russian origin, are utilizing the facility, and Aeroflot is scheduled to inaugurate services in December.

At present, Al Maktoum Airport accommodates only 1.6 million passengers annually.

However, there are ambitious plans to significantly expand the hub, with the aim of accommodating up to 250 million passengers by 2050.

This expansion is part of a strategy to alleviate the congestion at Dubai International Airport (DXB) by diverting a substantial portion of its passenger traffic to Al Maktoum.

Paul Griffiths, the CEO of Dubai Airports, which oversees both airports, revealed that plans for the new mega-airport are already in the works, recognizing the imminent need for such infrastructure within the next few years.

"Over the next few years, we'll be receiving 100 million passengers at DXB, and beyond that, we'll need a new airport because we probably can't get much beyond 115 million or 120 million," he articulated during a speech at the Dubai Airshow last month.

Ref: The £2.1bn mega-project to build world's biggest airport in city loved by British tourists (express)