Dubai Airport parking goes cashless: What new Salik, DXB deal means for travellers

Dubai: Dubai Airport is getting a major parking upgrade – and if you already use Salik, you may never need to tap a ticket machine again.

From January 22, 2026, Salik’s e-wallet will be introduced across all paid parking at Dubai International Airport (DXB), covering Terminals 1, 2, 3 and the Cargo Mega Terminal.

The move is part of a new 10-year agreement between Dubai Airports and Salik aimed at expediting entry, cutting exit queues and making airport parking fully digital.

However, here’s what it means for drivers, travellers and businesses in the UAE, travelling through the world's busiest hub

According to Dubai Airports, more than 4.7 million vehicles in the UAE are already linked to Salik accounts.

Under the new system, drivers will be able to pay for airport parking directly through their Salik e-wallet, without stopping at payment machines or exit barriers.

Salik’s system will be integrated into DXB’s existing parking infrastructure, allowing automatic detection and payment, similar to how toll gates work today.

The rollout will cover around 7,400 parking spaces across all terminals. Dubai Airports hopes the integration will reduce queues at exits, improve traffic flow around terminals, speed up entry and exit, and deliver a smoother, fully digital parking experience.

For regular airport users – whether you’re dropping off family, picking up guests, or travelling often for work – this means:

Your parking fee will be deducted automatically from your Salik e-wallet.

Even minor changes at DXB, which recently overtook Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport as the world’s busiest hub, make a huge difference.

The home base of Dubai carriers Emirates and flydubai, Dubai Airports, served 92.3 million passengers in 2024, its busiest year to date. It recorded 24.2 million passengers during Q3 2025 alone, marking the highest quarterly traffic in 65 years.

Dubai Airports’ CEO, Paul Griffiths, shared on his LinkedIn profile, “On January 3, DXB’s guest throughput topped a staggering 324,000 people, which is our highest ever number for a single day, and on January 4, DXB welcomed 322,000 guests through the terminals.”

As the hub gets busier and there are few ways to expand the airport, improving parking operations speed and efficiency goes a long way toward smoothing the travel experience.