World’s busiest airport forced to close for incredible new £28bn revamp

World's busiest airport that serves 60 million passengers is set for a £28 billion expansion revamp (Image: Getty)

The world's busiest international airport currently serves an impressive 60 million passengers a year, and is set for a huge £28 billion expansion revamp. According to Dubai Airports CEO, Paul Griffiths, Dubai International Airport will eventually close as it nears the end of its “useful operating role”. This means all services will, over the coming decades, be moved to the newer Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), which expansion includes five parallel runways and up to 400 aircraft gates. 

Mr Griffiths said all services will eventually move to the new DWC airport in the coming decades, with major plans to reposition it as a base for global aviation innovation. The major revamp will help increase DWC's capacity to serve up to 260 million passengers annually. It will also mark DWC's status as the largest airport project in the world, further establishing it as a major global travel hub.

Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) will be replacing DXB as Dubai’s primary air passenger hub (Image: Getty)

Plans worth £28bn have been announced for the expansion of Dubai’s second-largest airfield into the city’s main international airport, which will make it the largest airport in the world.

According to information published by Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP), the infrastructure developer for Dubai’s aviation sector, plans for DWC include “a new era of smart airport systems and passenger-centric facilities, taking travellers to worldwide destinations in the most awe-inspiring and comfortable way possible”.

Found roughly 38 miles from Dubai International Airport (DXB), Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) opened its doors back in 2010.

Currently, DWC is Dubai’s second largest airfield with the new expansion plans set to make it the largest airport in the world.

DWC’s new runways are set to be arranged in a parallel configuration featuring 400 aircraft gates (Image: Getty)

Emirate of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced in April that the DWC is set to be the “world’s largest airport”, replacing DXB as Dubai’s primary air passenger hub.

Griffiths spoke at the Arabian Travel Market conference and reiterated these plans saying: “There is little sense in operating two major hubs with such close proximity to one another.

“We will move every single service to DWC. By then, every single asset at DXB will be close to the end of its useful operating role, so the economics of keeping DXB open will not be possible unless we invest a huge amount of money.”

The Standard reported that 6.2 million international travellers arrive in Dubai every day, with these figures equating to roughly 17,000 British visitors.

However, over the years these large footfall numbers have increased significantly, putting more strain on DXB’s already immense capacity.

After analysis from experts, it was also revealed that Dubai’s current principal airport cannot expand to meet future demand and is also an engineering conundrum, being that DXB is sandwiched between two major highways and residential neighbourhoods. 

And that’s where DWC comes in with further information published by DAEP revealing DWC’s new runways are set to be arranged in a parallel configuration, featuring 400 aircraft gates equally divided to service four concourses.

The revamp also includes 100 boarding gates for the concourses, which will be lined along the airport’s piers with a spine linking the airport’s nodes and will help enable smooth access for passengers through multiple boarding bridges.

Described in the plans as being “megastructures”, each of the concourses will equal the length of the three concourses at DXB with a 14-station Automated People Mover (APM).

An APM carries travellers from terminals to concourses with this efficient system “allowing passengers transferring to connecting flights through the shortest and smoothest path.”