Groundwork for the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, valued at 128 billion UAE dirhams ($34.85 billion), is set to begin in the coming weeks, according to a senior Emirates official.
Emirates President Tim Clark told Reuters that construction work is expected to start within the next two to three weeks. This follows the approval in April by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, of the terminal designs, which will create the largest passenger terminal in the world once fully operational.
The airport, destined to be the world’s largest, will span 70 square kilometers and is projected to handle over 260 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo annually. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, stated that the first phase, which will accommodate 150 million passengers per year, is expected to be completed within the next decade.