Dubai goes all in: Investing over a trillion in airport expansion aiming to clinch the title of "world's busiest"

▲ Illustration of Dubai International Airport. (Image / from Wikipedia, photo by Arne Müseler)

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Is Atlanta Airport, which has held the title of the world’s busiest for 18 years, about to lose its crown? Accordingto SMARTERTRAVEL, Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport plans to invest $36 billion (approximately NT$1 trillion) in expansion. Once completed, Dubai Airport will become the largest and busiest airport in the world.

The development plan for Dubai Al Maktoum International Airportis expected to enable the completed airport to handle an annual passenger volume of 200 million and accommodate up to 100 double-decker Airbus A380s at the same time.This would allow Atlanta Airport, which has topped the list of the world’s busiest airports since 1998, to surrender its championship.

In addition, Emirates Airline, which has been aggressively expanding in recent years, also plays a significant role in the airport expansion project. As the airline with the highest frequency of passengers traveling to and from Dubai, the expansion will also position Dubai as a leading aviation hub for other regions. Currently, more than half of passengers flying to Dubai use the airport as a transfer hub, and this proportion is likely to increase significantly after the completion of the expansion.

The article statesthat the first phase of the airport expansion project is expected to be completed in 2020 to welcome the Dubai World Expo to be held at that time.