Dubai is reportedly considering restarting its largest construction project, the expansion of Al-Maktoum International airport, MEED reported, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.
The AED120 billion ($33 billion) development, also known as Dubai World Central (DWC), was launched in June 2010 for cargo operations and in October 2013 for passengers.
The airport aims to be the world’s biggest airport by 2050, capable of handling up to 255 million passengers annually.
The initial phase of the project will increase the airport’s capacity to 130 million passengers per year, and the total development will cover an area of 56 square kilometers. This phase is expected to be completed by 2030.
Sources close to the project have said that talks among officials are ongoing and potential stakeholders have been advised to prepare for a restart, the report said, adding that the move would be a significant boost to the emirate’s economy, which is not currently generating the same level of construction work as in the past.
A rebound in traffic numbers has helped boost the expansion’s prospects, especially as Dubai International airport handled 66.1 million passengers in 2022.
Dubai is also expecting about 78 million passengers to use the airport this year before returning to pre-pandemic levels in 2024.
The report added that progress on the Al Maktoum International airport project stalled during the Covid-19 pandemic after firms competed for the estimated $2.7 billion substructure contract for Concourse 1 and the West Terminal building, the largest contract tendered for the project.
The contract includes more than 1.7 million sqm of connected basement footprint, with facilities including people-mover tunnels, baggage handling systems, ground services road networks and back-of-house technical and support facilities.
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