In Pictures: How Dubai airport has evolved over the decades

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

Last updated: June 23, 2022 | 08:17

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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1963 | Work to build an asphalt runway began. It opened in 1965.

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

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1984 | The second runway opened in April 1984.

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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.

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1998 | Terminal 2 opens.

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2008 | The much-awaited terminal 3 opens for exclusive use of Emirates airline.

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

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

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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.

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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.

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2022 | DXB is the busiest international airport for the eighth consecutive year with 29.1m passengers in 2021.

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