In Pictures: How Dubai airport has evolved over the decades

The DXB northern runway reopened on Wednesday after a 45-day refurbishment work

Published: June 22, 2022 00:00 Anupam Varma, Assistant Editor and Nivetha Dayanand, Web Editor

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The reopening of the northern runway at Dubai International Airport after a 45-day refurbishment period is yet another feather in the cap for the world’s busiest airport. Image Credit: Supplied

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The runway opens just in time for the 550,000 passengers that Emirates airline, which operates out of DXB, is expected to host over a two-month period. Image Credit: Dubai Airports via YouTube

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But did you know that the airport that welcomed 29.1 million passengers last year at one time only had a sand compacted runway and a small terminal building capable of handling planes the size of a DC-3? Image Credit: Supplied

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Here’s a quick timeline of the airport over the decades. In 1959, work to build the airport began, some 4km from what was then the edge of the city of Dubai. Image Credit: Dubai Media Office

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1960 | The airport comprising a sand compacted runway and a small terminal building was opened on September 30 and was capable of handling aircraft up to the size of a DC-3. Image Credit: File

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1963 | Work to build an asphalt runway began. It opened in 1965. Image Credit: Dubai Media Office

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1970 | DXB gets a new three-storey terminal building, a new control tower, additional taxiways. Image Credit:

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1984 | The second runway opened in April 1984. Image Credit: File

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1988 | Passenger throughput at the airport reached 4.3m and more than doubled in a decade to 9.7 million by 1998. Image Credit: File

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1998 | Terminal 2 opens. Image Credit: File

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2008 | The much-awaited terminal 3 opens for exclusive use of Emirates airline. Image Credit: Gulf News

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2010 | Dubai Airports opens the first phase of Dubai World Central (DWC) for cargo operations on June 27. Image Credit: Dubai World Central

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2014 | DXB welcomes 70.4m passengers, becomes the world’s number 1 airport for international passenger traffic. Image Credit: Supplied

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2019 | DXB retains title of the world’s busiest airport for international passengers for the 5th consecutive year with 89.1m passengers in 2018. Image Credit: Dubai Media Office

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2021 | DXB retains its position as the world’s busiest international airport for the seventh consecutive year with passenger traffic of 25.9m in 2020. Image Credit: Supplied

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2022 | DXB is the busiest international airport for the eighth consecutive year with 29.1m passengers in 2021. Image Credit: Gulf News archives

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