For decades, millions of travelers heading to the Middle East and beyond have passed through Dubai International Airport. Since opening its doors on September 3, 1960, the airport has grown into one of the world’s busiest and most recognized travel hubs. But after more than six decades of operation, its time is slowly coming to an end.

Dubai International Airport (DXB), which currently welcomes over 95 million passengers annually, is expected to eventually close as Dubai shifts its aviation future to a much larger facility: Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).

The transition marks one of the most ambitious airport projects ever undertaken. A massive redevelopment effort valued at approximately £28 billion is underway at DWC, with plans to transform it into the world's largest airport hub.

Once fully developed, the new airport is expected to handle an astonishing 260 million passengers per year — nearly three times the current traffic through DXB. Major airlines operating from Dubai, including Emirates and flydubai, are expected to relocate their operations there as part of the long-term transition.

One major challenge facing DXB is its location. The airport is surrounded by heavily developed urban areas, major road networks, and nearby communities, leaving little room for future expansion. Because of these space limitations, building larger facilities at its current site has become increasingly impractical.

The future Al Maktoum airport is being designed on an entirely different scale. Plans include five parallel runways and as many as 400 aircraft gates, creating a travel hub capable of handling unprecedented passenger volumes.

According to Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, the airport aims to introduce a new generation of intelligent systems and traveler-focused facilities, offering a more advanced and comfortable airport experience.

Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths has explained that maintaining two massive airport hubs in such close proximity simply would not make long-term financial sense. Instead, the goal is to consolidate all operations into one next-generation aviation center.

Dubai continues to experience rapid passenger growth. Officials expect annual traffic at DXB to surpass 100 million in the coming years, with projections rising even further before the transition begins.

The move itself will be historic: shifting from today’s leading airport hub into what is expected to become the largest airport ever built.

Current plans suggest that airline operations could begin moving over during the early 2030s, while Dubai International Airport may eventually cease operations later in the decade. However, the full expansion of Al Maktoum International Airport is expected to continue for many years afterward, with completion stretching into the 2050s.

For travelers, it represents the beginning of a new era in global aviation — and the end of an extraordinary chapter in Dubai’s travel story.