Dubai South property has moved from the edge of most shortlists to the top of the land registry’s tables. In the 30 days to 28 October 2026, Madinat Al Mataar, the name the Dubai Land Department uses for the Dubai South district, recorded 871 registered sales, more than any other area of the city, according to our records of DLD transactions.
The reason most people give is the airport at its centre. Al Maktoum International, known by its code DWC, is being rebuilt to become Dubai’s main hub, with the first phase due in 2032. This guide sets out where the area is, what is actually being built and what the registered figures show, so that you can weigh it up on facts rather than brochures.
Where is Dubai South?
Dubai South lies in the south-west of the emirate, beyond Jebel Ali and towards the border with Abu Dhabi. It is laid out around Al Maktoum International Airport, with Expo City Dubai on its northern edge, and it is planned as a whole city rather than a single neighbourhood: residential districts sit alongside logistics zones, aviation businesses and the airport itself.
Names cause some confusion. Dubai South is the brand of the master development, but the Dubai Land Department registers homes by land area, and the main one here is Madinat Al Mataar, which means ‘airport city’ in Arabic. If you are checking transactions or reading a market report, that is the name to look for. A few developments marketed with a Dubai South address may sit in neighbouring registry areas, so check the area shown on the title deed or the off-plan registration before you compare figures.
For now, most people reach the district by car along the main highways. The Red Line’s branch to Expo City Dubai brings the metro to the district’s northern edge, and the airport’s own plans include a metro station within a landside transport hub.
What is being built at Al Maktoum International Airport
DWC already handles flights on a small scale. What is changing is the scale of the plan around it, which is why the airport now shapes almost every conversation we have about the area.
The plan approved in 2024
In April 2024 the Ruler of Dubai approved the designs for a new passenger terminal costing AED 128 billion, according to the Government of Dubai Media Office. When complete, the airport is planned to handle up to 260 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo a year across around 70 square kilometres, with five parallel runways and 400 aircraft gates. The announcement said all operations at Dubai International (DXB) would move to the new airport in the coming years, and that a city would be built around it in Dubai South, with housing needed for a million people.
Contracts and progress on site
Speaking in August 2026, Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths said AED 13 billion of contracts had been awarded during the year, with a further AED 55 billion to be awarded by the end of 2026, as reported by The National and Gulf News. As evidence of progress, he pointed to some 17,000 foundation piles already driven and 45 million cubic metres of soil shifted. Around 9,000 people work on the site today, and that workforce is expected to climb to 120,000 at the busiest stage. He also said the regional conflict had not slowed the work. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has been selected to build the automated train that will link the concourses.
Nearer milestones
The next step is a second runway, which Gulf News reported in September 2026 is expected to open by the end of 2027. No airline has yet confirmed a move, but Dubai Airports expects flydubai to lead the way by shifting part of its fleet, perhaps five or six aircraft, from 2027. The full transfer from DXB is planned once the first phase is ready.
Dubai South property prices: what our DLD records show
Our figures come from Dubai Land Department registered transactions, recorded to 28 October 2026. In the 30 days to that date, Madinat Al Mataar recorded 871 sales at a median of AED 1,622 per square foot. The next busiest areas were Al Barsha South Fourth with 827 sales at AED 1,487 per square foot, Al Rowaiyah First with 651 at AED 468, Wadi Al Safa 3 with 538 at AED 1,451 and Jabal Ali Industrial Second with 510 at AED 1,800.
Across all of Dubai, September 2026 brought 11,494 sales at a median of AED 1,677 per square foot, and the third quarter of 2026 recorded a median of AED 1,690. The windows differ by a few weeks, but the comparison puts Madinat Al Mataar a little below the citywide median, while 871 sales in a month is roughly one in thirteen of the sales Dubai registered in September.
A median is a summary of many sales, not a price for any one home. It mixes apartments, townhouses and villas, ready homes and off-plan, and a shift in that mix can move it even when nothing else has changed. If you are comparing figures between areas or brochures, it also helps to know what a price per square foot actually measures.
What buyers might weigh up in Dubai South
The airport timetable and a home’s timetable are different things. The first airport phase is due in 2032, while handover dates for homes in the area vary, so think about what the district will be like to live in, or to let, in the years between: which schools, shops and clinics are open, how far the nearest jobs are, and how much construction is still going on around you.
A large airport also brings aircraft. With five runways planned, it makes sense to look at where a home sits in relation to the runways and approach paths before committing, and to visit at different times of day.
Volume matters too. A busy registry means many buyers are taking handover over a similar period, so landlords may find themselves letting alongside a good number of neighbours. That is not a reason for or against, but it is something to factor into any rental assumptions.
With off-plan homes, the usual checks apply: that the project is registered with the Dubai Land Department, that payments go into the project’s escrow account, and what the developer has delivered before. Our developer ranking scores 29 developers on capital gain and sales, and our off-plan projects page lists the projects we can advise on.
What tenants might weigh up
For tenants, Dubai South can suit people who work at the airport, in aviation or in the logistics zones, where living close by turns a long drive into a short one. People working in the established centres further north will want to try the commute at rush hour before signing.
Across Dubai, the median rent in the third quarter of 2026 was AED 60,000 a year, against AED 58,000 in the same quarter of 2025, across 249,916 rent contracts. In a district where many buildings are new, check that the contract is registered through Ejari and that the community’s services are running, and remember that any renewal increase is governed by the Smart Rental Index rather than by the landlord’s preference.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dubai South the same as Madinat Al Mataar?
Broadly, yes. Dubai South is the name of the master development, while Madinat Al Mataar is the land area the Dubai Land Department uses to register homes there. A few projects marketed under the Dubai South name may fall in neighbouring registry areas, so check the area on the title deed or off-plan registration.
When will Al Maktoum International Airport open?
The airport already operates on a smaller scale as DWC. The first phase of the expansion is scheduled for 2032 with capacity for 150 million passengers a year, and a second runway is expected by the end of 2027.
What is the price per square foot in Dubai South?
In the 30 days to 28 October 2026, Madinat Al Mataar recorded 871 registered sales at a median of AED 1,622 per square foot, according to our records of DLD transactions. The median mixes property types and off-plan and ready homes, so a particular home can sit well above or below it.
Will all flights move from DXB to Al Maktoum International?
The government said in 2024 that all of Dubai International’s operations would move to the new airport in the coming years. Dubai Airports says the full transfer is planned once the first 150 million passenger phase is available, with flydubai likely to move part of its operation earlier.
How much is being spent on the airport expansion?
The new passenger terminal was approved in 2024 at a cost of AED 128 billion. In August 2026 Dubai Airports said AED 13 billion of contracts had been awarded that year, with a further AED 55 billion due to be awarded by the end of 2026.
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Sources
- Dubai to award Dh55bn in contracts by year-end for Al Maktoum Airport expansion | The National (thenationalnews.com)
- Dubai’s new DWC airport: Dh55 billion in new contracts expected by year-end | Gulf News (gulfnews.com)
- DWC second runway set for 2027, flydubai could start moving aircraft from DXB | Gulf News (gulfnews.com)
- Al Maktoum Airport: 10 key numbers UAE travellers need to know about Dubai’s new airport | Gulf News (gulfnews.com)
- Mohammed bin Rashid approves designs of new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport | Government of Dubai Media Office (mediaoffice.ae)
This article is for general information only and is not investment advice. Figures are taken from the sources named and from Dubai Land Department registrations at the time of writing; prices and rents can fall as well as rise. Please take independent advice before making any decision.
ORN 1238 · Sherwoods International Properties
General information, not legal or financial advice.