Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Prime Minister, vice-president, and ruler of Dubai on Sunday announced plans for the world's largest airport terminal, estimated to be constructed at a cost of AED 128 billion (Rs 2.9 lakh crore approximately).
Sheikh Mohammed took to platform X to share the news and said designs for the new passenger terminals at the Al Maktoum International Airport had been finalised. He said construction work would begin soon.
The airport would have the capacity to hold up to 260 million passengers,making it the largest in the world, he mentioned in his post.
"It will be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport, and all operations at Dubai International Airport will be transferred to it in the coming years," the post read.
The airport is designed with five parallel runways and 400 aircraft gates. He claimed this would be the first time in the history of the aviation sector that new-age aviation technologies would be used.
Located in Dubai's south, an entire city is planned around it. This is expected to lead to a surge in housing in the vicinity.
"It will host the world's leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors," said Sheikh Mohammed in his post.
He further added that this project was initiated and designed considering future generations. Concluding his post, he said, "Dubai will be the world's airport, its port, its urban hub, and its new global centre."
In an Al Jazeera report, CEO of Dubai Airports, Paul Griffiths, said, "The growth of Dubai has always been hand in hand with the growth of its aviation infrastructure and, today, we see another bold step in that journey."
In the past, Dubai International Airport has been recognised for its design, functionality, and services. The airport has been one of the busiest international airports in the world for a decade now.
In 2023, Dubai recorded 17.15 million overnight visitors, which was 20% higher than in 2022, according to the Al Jazeera report. Dubai International Airport won the seventh position in the recent Skytrax World Airport Awards.