Phase one of world's biggest airport ready to open

Dubai: Dubai World Centre is a multiphase development of six clustered zones: Dubai Logistics City, Commercial City, Residential City, Aviation City and Golf City, with what will one day be the world's largest airport Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International — at its heart.

Owner Dubai Airports said the development was expected to be one of the world's first dedicated greenfield aviation clusters designed from scratch as a master-planned community. It is intended to host the world's largest airport.

Under the design, the 140 square kilometre development would not only house the world's largest airport but also the region's first integrated transportation hub connecting passengers by air, sea, and land.

Dubai Airports is due to launch cargo operations at Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International on June 27 as part of the first phase.

Passenger operations will start later.

Total cost

Cost of the Dubai World Centre development (including all clusters) has been estimated at more than $32 billion (Dh120 billion).

Phase 1 of Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International includes a single A380 compatible runway; a passenger terminal with capacity of five million passengers per annum expandable to seven million passengers per annum; a cargo terminal building with a capacity of 250,000 tonnes per annum (expandable to 600,000) and a 92-metre air traffic control tower.

Cargo capacity

Dubai Airports said once completed, Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International would have up to four passenger terminals and would accommodate up to 160 million passengers per annum.

This compares to the world's busiest passenger airport in 2008, Atlanta in the US, which carried 90 million passengers per annum, followed by Chicago's O'Hare with 69 million and London Heathrow with 67 million.

Dubai Airports said Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International would have a final cargo capacity of 12 million tonnes per annum (compared to Dubai's 2009 traffic figures of 1.9 million tonnes in 2009, and the world's current largest cargo airport, Memphis International in the US at 3.7 million tonnes.

The airport would also have five 4.5km parallel runways, separated by a minimum of 800 metres.

The automated baggage handling system will be capable of handling up to 240 million bags per annum.

• January 11, 2005 Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum ordered the construction of Jebel Ali Airport City project
• March 19, 2005 Dubai launches the Jebel Ali Airport City project, billed as the world's first integrated logistics and multi-modal transport platform
• September 16, 2006 Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group, says Dh120 billion will be invested in the Dubai World Central project
• May 30, 2007 Dubai awards Dh6 billion worth of tenders for work on Dubai World Central, the planned site for the world's biggest airport
• August 26, 2007 Dubai World Central, the 140 square kilometre aviation community taking shape at Jebel Ali in Dubai, awards two contracts worth $44.1 million (Dh161 million) for emergency services
• November 5, 2007 The first runway at Dubai World Central International Airport is completed
• February 9, 2008 Grading work on the third phase of Dubai World Central, Jebel Ali, is completed
• February 1, 2009 The opening of the first phase of the world's biggest airport in Dubai is delayed. Dubai World Central would open in 2010 instead of before the end of the year
• June 20, 2010 Al Maktoum Airport receives its first flight, Emirates Flight EK9883, a Boeing 777 freighter operating the Hong Kong-Dubai route