The designs for a new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International (AMI) airport and its overall expansion have been approved by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The approval came during Sheikh Mohammed’s visit to the Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, accompanied by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.

The project is expected to have a total cost of US $34.8bn and will be almost five times the size of Dubai International Airport. Once complete, Al Maktoum International will comprise five parallel runways with a quadruple independent operation, west and east processing terminals, four satellite concourses with over 400 aircraft contact stands, an uninterrupted automated people mover system for passengers, and an integrated landside transport hub for roads, metro, and city air transport.

“With the use of new technologies for the first time in the aviation sector, we are preparing for a new phase in the growth of the global aviation sector. We are preparing for a phase in which Dubai leads the international aviation sector for the next forty years. We are also building an entire airport city in Dubai South, which will raise the demand for housing for one million people… and will include the most important companies in the world in the logistics and air transport sector,” remarked Sheikh Mohammed.

On completion, AMI will be the world’s largest with a capacity to handle 260 million passengers. The move, which comes as part of the Dubai Aviation Corporation’s strategy, will see all operations of Dubai International Airport get transferred to the new facility in the coming years, said a statement.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports added, “The growth of Dubai has always been hand-in-hand with the growth of its aviation infrastructure, and today we see another bold step on that journey. The announcement of phase two of Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport’s (DWC) expansion, representing a substantial investment of $34.8bn, marks the start of a huge investment of resources by our many stakeholders in designing and building a state-of-the-art airport that will provide a quick, convenient, and high quality 21st century experience for our customers. This further solidifies Dubai’s position as a leading aviation hub on the world stage.”

Dubai International Airport (DXB) will continue to serve as the primary hub, meeting the needs of 100m plus guests over the next few years as phase two of DWC takes shape, Griffiths added.

“We will be actively collaborating with our airline customers, our strategic partners, the Dubai Government, and our stakeholders to bring this visionary project to fruition,” he concluded.