This Could Soon Be The World’s Largest Airport

In just a few short years, this mammoth construction will be completed.

King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, is currently the world’s largest airport. But that accolade may soon go to another. That’s because construction is well underway on the expansion of another famous airport, which will soon become one of the busiest destinations in all of air travel. 

This project is not only a huge undertaking and a wildly ambitious build, but it is also a sign that the goalposts are moving once more. Bigger is better, and very soon, it might not just be the aeroplane industry that is searching for a design of this scale. 

Dubai’s Airport Is Expanding

Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport, also known as DWC, is currently in the middle of an expansion that will see it grow exponentially. The original airport was built in 2010, becoming fully operational to the public in 2013. Costing around $1 billion to develop, the airport has since become one of Dubai’s most important pieces of infrastructure. 

Right now, Dubai’s International Airport or DXB, is still the city’s busiest. However, a whopping $35 billion has been pumped into Al Maktoum International Airport as it gears up for its makeover. By the project’s end, DWC will be over five times larger than DXB and will host five runways and over 400 gates. 

With 2027 marking the opening of the next runway, current predictions suggest that the build won’t be completed in full until the mid 2030s!

Al Maktoum International Airport’s Upgrades 

What is actually included in this renovation and expansion, though? Well, the airport’s size will grow to cover 70 square kilometres. Its capacity will increase to 260 million passengers per year. And with two terminals and a set of new transit systems, including an underground people mover and a rail hub, it seems the airport’s layout is becoming more complex too. 

Designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au, the design of the airport is shaped to resemble a dune, with landscaped micro-climates incorporating green zones into the space. With 9,000 active labourers on site every day and 120,000 workers expected on the project at its peak, Dubai’s big venture has become one of its most important economic bids. 

With other state-of-the-art developments planned, including a next-gen luggage system and a counterless check-in, it seems those 10 million working hours are being put to good use.