Dubai’s airport of the future is being designed around a simple idea: passengers should not spend their journey standing in queues.
At Al Maktoum International Airport, bags could be dropped off before travellers reach the terminal, check-in could be completed during the journey, and passengers could move through the airport without the usual repeated stops for formalities. Inside, automated people movers will link terminals and concourses, advanced baggage systems will process tens of thousands of bags an hour, and road, rail and air networks will come together in one vast travel hub.
Here is what a journey through Al Maktoum International Airport could look like:
Check-in before reaching the airport
Al Maktoum International Airport
Passengers flying through Al Maktoum International Airport could complete most travel formalities before they even reach the terminal.
In an earlier interview with Khaleej Times, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said the future airport would be built around a “no red lights” concept, aimed at removing the need for passengers to queue for check-in, immigration, security, customs or other travel processes after arrival.
Instead, passengers would be able to check in and drop off their bags before or during their journey to the airport, allowing them to arrive at DWC and move through a short, convenient route towards their flight.
Griffiths said the aim was to give passengers more control over their airport journey, with time spent where they choose, whether at shops, restaurants or lounges, rather than in queues for formalities.
Automated people mover and rail links
Al Maktoum International Airport
Given the sheer scale of Al Maktoum International Airport, passengers will not rely only on walking to move between key airport zones.
The airport will feature an integrated underground Automated People Mover system, which includes a multi-track train. The 14-station APM will carry travellers from terminals to concourses and support smoother transfers across the airport. For connecting passengers, the system is designed to help them reach onward flights through the shortest and most seamless route.
The airport plan also includes multimodal connectivity linking air, rail and road transport networks, allowing it to function as part of a wider transport ecosystem rather than as a standalone terminal complex.
Etihad Rail, the UAE’s national railway project, could also have a stop at Dubai World Central, potentially allowing passengers to check in from train stations before reaching the airport.
A separate Airport Express Line could further improve connectivity between Dubai’s two airports. According to a MEED report based on an RTA tender, consultants have been invited to study and design a proposed 55km link between Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport. The line would run from the Red Line Metro station at DXB in Al Garhoud to DWC in Jebel Ali, with five stations planned along the route. More
By Sahim Salim KT
