One of the world’s busiest airports is set to close permanently in the coming years following more than six decades as a major global aviation hub. Dubai International Airport (DXB) will shut its doors for good in 2035, with all operations transferring to Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) in Dubai South.
The staged transition is anticipated to commence around 2032 and is expected to span several years. DWC is presently undergoing an enormous £28 billion redevelopment, positioning it to become the world’s largest aviation facility.
The relocation will see all flight operations and services currently handled at DXB shift to DWC, including those operated by Dubai-based carriers Emirates and flydubai.
Upon completion, the airport at Dubai World Central is projected to accommodate an annual passenger capacity of up to 260 million travellers, securing its position as the largest globally.
It will dwarf DXB by five times, featuring five runways, 400 aircraft gates, and the ability to process 260 million passengers annually.
Dubai International Airport officially commenced operations on September 30, 1960, with merely a modest terminal facility and a 1,800-metre compacted sand runway before rapidly expanding to serve countless millions of travellers.
The airport currently ranks as the second busiest globally, having processed 95.2 million passengers in 2025, and holds the distinction of being the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic. Mr Griffiths, addressing delegates at the Arabian Travel Market in 2025, stated: “The current thinking is that when DXB gets to a point where we’ve got enough capacity created at DWC (Al Maktoum International Airport) to make the complete transition, that we will move every single service from DXB to DWC.
“There’s little sense in operating two major airport hubs in such close proximity, within 70 kilometers of each other.
“The other point to remember is that by then, if we’ve done our sums of calculations right, every single asset at DXB will be close to the end of its useful operating life.
“So the economics of keeping DXB open will not really be possible to do unless we invest a huge amount of money.”