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Middle East invests in giant airports

25 July 2025

This aviation package also includes:

> Broader region upgrades its airports
> Global air travel shifts east

 

The two largest airport construction projects in the world are in the GCC, according to UK data analytics firm GlobalData’s latest ranking of international airport projects. 

Dubai’s Al-Maktoum International airport ranks first, followed by Riyadh’s King Salman International airport. 

The scale and timing of the two projects underscores the region’s intention to remain a global travel hub.

Demand has rebounded strongly following the Covid-19 pandemic and data for 2024 shows that air traffic is nearing or exceeding pre-pandemic levels at many airports. These tailwinds have continued into 2025 and are expected to continue for many years to come.

Dubai pivots

In Dubai, the expansion of Al-Maktoum International airport, which is also known as Dubai World Central, is back on the agenda after a five-year hiatus. The expansion project was launched in 2014 and was put on hold as the emirate focused on delivering infrastructure for Expo 2020 and then dealt with the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

With a rebound in air travel and growing operational pressure at Dubai International airport (DXB), the project was relaunched in 2024. 

Once complete, Al-Maktoum will cover an area of 70 square kilometres (sq km), which will make it five times larger than DXB. It will have five parallel runways, five terminal buildings and up to 400 aircraft gates. It is designed to eventually handle 260 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo a year, making it the largest passenger airport in the world by capacity. 

The government has said that operations will shift from DXB to Al-Maktoum within the next 10 years. The project is also driving housing and commercial development in the surrounding area, with plans to accommodate up to 1 million residents around the new airport zone.

Construction is already progressing. In May, Binladin Contracting Group won a AED1bn ($272m) contract for the second runway, and Abu Dhabi-based Tristar E&C is delivering enabling works for the terminal.

Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP), the government entity managing the development, has also issued tenders for the first phase of construction, which is expected to be completed by 2032. 

The initial phase includes five substructure packages covering tunnels, technical infrastructure and a seven-level West Terminal spanning 800,000 square metres. This terminal alone will have an annual capacity of 45 million passengers.

DAEP has also tendered a contract for the airport’s automated people mover system, which will operate beneath the apron and link 14 underground stations across the terminals and concourses. International firms including Alstom, Hitachi and CRRC are expected to bid.

Unlike in 2014, when Dubai had some time on its side, the need for expansion today is becoming increasingly urgent. While DXB remains the world’s busiest airport for international passengers and the second busiest overall with 92.3 million travellers in 2024, it operates with only two runways and is approaching its physical limits. 

As Emirates begins flying smaller Airbus A350s with fewer seats than the A380s the company is replacing, the number of aircraft movements is expected to increase, further straining capacity. DXB already ranks among the world’s busiest airports for aircraft movements. Without additional runway infrastructure, future growth will be constrained.

Riyadh’s global ambitions

While Dubai expands to maintain its lead in aviation, Riyadh is seeking to establish itself as a global hub. 

Backed by sovereign wealth vehicle the Public Investment Fund, the King Salman International airport project represents a central pillar of Saudi Arabia’s $100bn aviation and economic diversification strategy. 

The airport will cover 57 sq km, integrating the existing King Khalid International airport and adding six parallel runways, several new terminals and a 12-square-kilometre mixed-use logistics and real estate zone.

By 2030, Riyadh aims for the airport to accommodate 120 million passengers annually, rising to 185 million by 2050. It will also target 3.5 million tonnes of cargo a year. 

The airport will anchor the kingdom’s wider aviation strategy, which seeks to triple annual passenger traffic to 330 million, expand cargo throughput to 4.5 million tonnes and grow Saudi Arabia’s network to over 250 global destinations.

While Dubai expands to maintain its lead in aviation, Riyadh is seeking to establish itself as a global hub

The newly launched Riyadh Air will operate from the new hub, complementing Saudia and positioning the capital as a central node in global travel.

Contractors are already competing for major construction packages. The fourth runway package and a separate contract covering the Iconic Terminal and Terminal 6 for low-cost carriers are out to tender. 

Several international firms have been appointed to design and delivery roles. Foster & Partners is leading the masterplan and terminal architecture, Jacobs is supporting runway and infrastructure design and Bechtel is delivering the terminal programme. Parsons has taken responsibility for airside and landside works and Mace is overseeing overall delivery management. Local firm Nera is handling the critical airspace design consultancy.

Both airports, along with other hubs and airport projects that are being developed in the region, will help the Gulf remain a key player in global aviation for decades to come. 

Main photo: Artist’s impression of the phase two expansion of Dubai’s Al-Maktoum airport. Credit: Dubai Airports

Global air travel shifts east

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Colin Foreman

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