Dubai International Airport (DXB / JXB)  

Dubai International Airport (IATA Airport Code DXB)

Latest flight information tel Dubai International Airport +971-4-2166666 or visit the Flight Information menu on the Dubai Airport website. All Emirates (EK) passengers arrive at and depart from Terminal 3 (T3). Most other airline passengers use Terminal 1 (T1). Terminal 2 (T2) is for a handful of more obscure airlines.

Dubai Airport general information

Dubai International Airport (or just Dubai Airport, DXB) is in the Garhood / Garhoud area of Dubai. A second international airport is under construction in the Jebel Ali area, called Al Maktoum International Airport. Previously the new airport was to be known as Dubai World Central International Airport, and previous to that was Jebel Ali Airport, Jebel Ali International Airport, Jebel Ali Airport City, or Dubai International Airport City. Both airports are owned and operated by Dubai Airports (a catchy name for a company in the airport business wouldn't you say?).

• Dubai Airport opened on 30 September 1960. By 1969 there were 9 airlines to 20 destinations, by 2004 there were 107 airlines to more than 160 destinations. As of June 2008 there are 120 airlines flying to 205 destinations.
• Terminal 1 connects to the new Sheikh Rashid Terminal (concourse) which opened in April 2000, and is used for most commercial flights to Dubai. Passenger capacity was increased to about 25 million passengers per year, which meant the new terminal was only good for 5 years before busting its gaskets. Prior to the opening of the Sheikh Rashid Terminal, the Terminla 1 building was also the concourse for flight arrivals and departures.
• Terminal 2 is used mostly for business and charter flights.
• Terminal 3 (and concourse 2), originally expected to be completed in 2006 but not open until 14 October 2008, is dedicated to Emirates Airlines passengers. Total capacity of Dubai Airport up to 60 million passengers per year with the opening of T3.
• Another A380 specific facility (concourse 3), with longer ladders for the upstairs passengers, was expected to open in 2009 but that's been pushed back to 2011. This, together with the new terminal 3 and concourse 2, will increase capacity to 70-80 million passengers per year (various figures seen - April 2009 reports said 80m). Which sounds like a lot, but at current growth rates the doors won't close anymore by about 2012/2013. However, by then the new airport at Jebel Ali should be taking up some of the strain.
• An e-gate card is available for residents and visitors, a very handy short cut to the ever lengthening queues at passport control.
• Average annual growth in passenger numbers for Dubai Airport is about 9-10% since 1980, which increased to about 15% annual growth from 2002-2007, and was back to 10% or less after that.
• Dubai International Airport was voted Best in the Middle East and Africa for 2005 by Business Traveller Magazine Germany.

Dubai Airport contact information

• DXB postal address: Department of Civil Aviation, Dubai International Airport, PO Box 2525, Dubai, UAE
• Telephone +971-4-2162525 or +971-4-2166333.
• Flight information tel +971-4-2166666.

Dubai Airport passenger numbers

• Figures in italics represent estimates and/or forecasts (2009 figures and 2010 forecasts released 13 January 2010)

Getting to and from Dubai International Airport

• Dubai Airport location is in the Al Garhoud area on Deira side of the creek. Coming from Sharjah, try either Al Ittihad Road (or car park as it usually is), otherwise known as the Dubai Sharjah Road. Or try the Airport Tunnel. Either way, there are signs to follow.
• Driving from Bur Dubai (Abu Dhabi) side of the Dubai Creek, go towards the Garhood Bridge and follow airport signs, but this takes you through a Salik toll gate. To avoid Salik, use the Business Bay Bridge. The airport signs then direct you to a longer route that gets you stuck in the Airport Tunnel traffic jam. A shortcut is: as you go over the Business Bay bridge, take the second exit to Dubai Festival City (no airport sign), follow road around to the right to traffic signal - turn right, and right again at next intersection, then straight ahead at the next traffic signal / traffic lights. Continue straight ahead through several more signals until you get to the Airport Road where you turn left, then follow signs to Terminal 3 or Terminal 1. If you have to go to Terminal 2 (unlikely), then you'll need to drive around to the other side of the airport. There should be airport signs to follow after you make the initial exit from Business Bay Bridge.
• Public transport to the airport includes taxis, Dubai Municipality buses, and airport buses visiting many hotels. Four and five star hotels usually arrange pick up and delivery of guests. Three star and lower probably not.
• Dubai Metro - from September 2009 the Red Line operations start with a station open at Terminal 3 (T3), and another station at T1 (not open until February or April 2010). Good access to hotels in Al Riga area of Deira, and a couple along Sheikh Zayed Road. Only 10 Dubai red line stations open initially, all 29 expected to be open by February 2010. Dubai Metro has limited operating hours though - late night arrivals and departures will be caught out, and those travelling on Fridays. There are also baggage restrictions making the Dubai Metro impractical for most passengers, and acting as a useful introduction for visitors and new residents to the illogical nature of Dubai.

Accommodation near Dubai Airport

• The nearest hotels are Al Bustan Rotana Hotel and Airport Meridian Hotel, which are both within walking distance across the main Airport Road - there are covered airconditioned walkways over the road. But if you have luggage and/or you're walking in the middle of the day during summer, take a taxi. It might not look far but you'll be cursing the heat by the time you get there.
• The Airport Millenium Hotel is a bit further away on the road leading to the Garhood Bridge and Dubai Tennis Stadium. A long walk (not recommended, especially in summer) or short taxi ride.
• Premier Inn is a Dubai budget hotel near the airport, open September 2009 with rooms for AED 450 at the time.
• The Dubai Youth Hostel is not within walking distance but is not too far away by bus or taxi.
• The Dubai transit hotel is in the terminal building for the use of transit passengers on an hourly or daily basis.

Getting through Dubai International Airport - arrivals

• On arrival from overseas, planes end up either at the nicely airconditioned walkways into the airport, or a long way from the terminal building in the cheap parking slots, from where you have to catch a bus.
• If you end up on a bus, usually the first stop is for transit passengers, and the second stop is for passengers staying in Dubai - customs and passport control is in a separate building from the main Terminal 1 building.
• When arriving at passport control, if you have to collect an entry visa, there is a counter where it should be waiting for you just before you walk up the stairs to join the passport control queues. Nationalities allowed visas on arrival are most European, North American, Australasian, and some Asian. At bad times, you could be waiting an hour in the passport queue. If you're a resident, it serves you right for not getting an e-gate card.
• After passport control, go and find your bags and walk through customs. It doesn't seem to matter much whether you choose the red or green line, customs officers will pick the occasional random person to check. Most of the time you'll sail through. Check the duty free allowances for information on what not to bring.
• Facilities for arriving passengers include a resonable selection of alcohol at Dubai Duty Free after passport control but before customs, and a few other electronic goods, cigars, cigarettes, perfumes etc.
• On a good day (using e-gate, no checked baggage) plane to taxi takes about 15-30 minutes. Normal plane to terminal exit is 30 mins to 1 hour, although in 2008 that stretched to 1-2 hours as the airport got choked up.
• Evenings and early mornings are busiest times - many flights from Asia/Europe transit through Dubai in the middle of the night. There are no noise control restrictions in place so Dubai airport operates 24 hours per day.

Dubai International Airport departures

• Allow 3 hours for check in and passport control (you'll get away with 2 hours but that leaves little room for error if you get stuck in traffic, or the check-in and passport queues are unexpectedly long).
• The departure drop-off area always seems busy for Terminal 1. If you want to have a long goodbye with someone, either do it before you get to the airport, or park the car in a proper carpark.
• Evenings from about 7pm to midnight are about the worst time for crowds at the departure terminal, and especially if coming from the Garhood Bridge the traffic queues just to enter the airport will delay you 15-30 minutes, or longer.
• The end of June / early July is a nightmare time for exiting the country as all the schools finish around then and everyone wants to clear off.
• Don't forgot the new rules about bringing liquids. Clear plastic bags with no container over 100 ml, and total less than 1 liter. Or put stuff in your checked luggage.
• If you're travelling with hand luggage only, from mid-June 2008 there's a new check in facility upstairs at Terminal 1 for some flights, which avoids some of the queues.
• Facilities for departing passengers include good shopping at Dubai Duty Free (although many items are similar prices or cheaper in Dubai's shopping malls - especially if there's a sale on), the Irish Village bar and restaurant, several other cafes and restaurants (including a McDonalds), and a Transit Hotel at Dubai Airport. Also available are banks, a post office, health club (with pool), medical center, prayer rooms, business centers, first and business class lounges, etc. Most facilities are open 24 hours.
• Gates close 15-20 minutes before flight departure and airport staff toss out the bags of any passengers who are late. At least, that's what they say they'll do. It's probably not a good idea to test their patience so skip that extra burger or drink and trot along now, and if you're an Emirates Airlines passenger who checked in at the new Terminal 3 and you've just discovered your boarding pass has a gate number starting with a "1", you better get moving. You've got a long jog ahead of you ...

Dubai Airport Facilities

• Concourses 1, 2, and 3 (completion in 2011)
• Cargo Terminals 1 and 2
• Dubai Airport Expo - home of the Dubai Airshow up to 2009 (moves to the new Jebel Ali airport for 2011)
• Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZ) - one of several Dubai free trade zone areas
• Dubai Airport Aircraft Maintenance workshop - a little bigger than your local car mechanic's garage.
• Dubai Flower Center - for flowers and other perishable goods
• Terminals 1, 2, 3 (open October 2008)

Dubai Airport concourse and terminal differences

An airport terminal is usually where passengers check in for departure, or collect luggage and go through customs when arriving. A concourse is usually where the planes arrive and depart from. Sometimes the terminal and concourse buildings are separate, sometimes they're the same. Duty free shops and other facilities might be located in terminals or concourses or both. For Dubai Airport, it can be a little confusing. As of October 2008 when the new Terminal 3 and Concourse 2 opened, there are 3 terminal buildings and 2 concourse buildings, with a third concourse under construction.

• Terminal 1 is where passengers for most non-Emirates Airlines (EK) flights check in for departure, or clear customs and collect their bags on arrival. T1 flights depart from Concourse 1 - called the Sheikh Rashid Terminal (not concourse, just to be even more confusing).
• Terminal 2 is used for a few airlines. The T2 building is also the concourse for flights for passengers using T2, and is located on the Sharjah side of the airfield from T1 and T3 (there's no separate concourse building for T2).
• Terminal 3 is used for Emirates passengers and most flights use Concourse 2 but some flights use Concourse 1 (The Sheikh Rashid Terminal) resulting in a surprisingly long walk to and from T3 for those unlucky passengers.
• Concourse 3, under construction, has an expected completion date of 2011 ... maybe end of 2010.

Gate numbering on boarding passes can be confusing. Numbers starting with a 1 are for Concourse 1 (not Terminal 1). Numbers starting with a 2 are for Concourse 2 (not Terminal 2). Numbers starting with a 3 are for Concourse 3 (not open, and not Terminal 3 - if you get one of these, boarding will commence in 2011 so you should find somewhere comfortable to sit for the next year or two).

Dubai Airport Concourse 3

Dubai Airport Concourse 3 was in the news in April 2009 when the joint venture (JV) contractors Al Habtoor Leighton Group and partners Murray & Roberts & Takenaka downed tools and walked off the job due to contractual difficulties. Al Jaber Engineering and Contracting (ALEC) became the new contractors for the construction of the concourse.

Update (24 February 2010 report in Emirates Business 24/7): Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said "When Concourse 3 is completed by the end of 2010, it will take the airport's annual capacity to 75 million passengers. Between the two airports [Dubai Airport and Jebel Ali Airport], we will have an initial combined capacity of 82 million passengers."

Dubai Airport Terminal 3

The departure hall and arrival hall of Terminal 3 (T3) are spacious and pleasant with large columns making it look like something the ancient Greeks or Romans might have designed. For departures though, after clearing passport control and security checks, one is thrust into the melee of the poorly designed claustrophobic duty-free shopping area, a sharp contrast from the much less hectic shopping area in Terminal 1 (which is connected to T3 if you want to escape the crowds).

The new terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport (DIA) opened with a first flight to Doha on 14 October 2008 at 14:15. There was a four phase operation to shift all Emirates (EK) flights from terminal 1 (T1) to T3. When you walk around T3 and think that it seems like a large building, that's because it is. The largest by footprint area in the world, coming in at about 1.5 million sq meters / 1.5 square km (or 16 million square feet). Phased transfer schedule for EK flights from T1 to T3:

• Phase I for flights to GCC and American destinations
• Phase II for flights to Africa and other Middle East destinations
• Phase III for flights to Europe
• Phase IV for flights to Asia, Australia, and New Zealand

Dubai Airport plane crashes, accidents, and air traffic incidents

• 12 March 2007 - a Biman Bangladesh Airbus A310 with 236 passengers and crew aborted takeoff and stopped at the end of the runway. Passengers were evacuated with Reuters reporting 13 passengers slightly injured. Dubai Airport was closed for part of the day, and the Biman plane suffered nosegear damage.
• 17 October 2001 - a Pakistan International Airways Airbus A300 with 193 passengers and 12 crew skidded off the side of the runway during landing, as a result of landing gear failure. There were no fatalities.
• 21 September 2001 - an Aeroflot Ilyushin 86 with 307 passengers and 15 crew belly flopped onto the runway as a result of the aircrew not lowering the landing gear. Two engines and the cargo hold caught fire. There were no fatalities. Unknown if the pilot remembered to say Spasebo for flying with Aeroflot.
• 09 March 1985 - a bomb exploded in a baggage compartment of a Royal Jordanian Airlines Lockheed Tristar after it landed. The plane had come from Karachi in Pakistan.
• 25 November 1973 - a KLM Boeing 747 with 247 passengers and 17 crew was hijacked between Tokyo and Athens. The hijackers took the plane on a sightseeing tour of Middle East airports (Damascus > Cyprus > Libya > Malta > Baghdad > Kuwait > Qatar) that refused to negotiate with them or allow them to land in some cases, eventually stopping in Dubai, then attempting a trip to Yemen but returning to Dubai when Aden airport did not give them landing permission. The hijackers surrendered and the passengers walked around in circles for a while until the dizziness subsided. There were no fatalities.

Aircraft incidents on the way to or from Dubai Airport involving a loss of life

• 15 November 1993 - an Aviastar Antonov 124-100 with 14 passengers and 3 crew enroute from Dubai to Kerman in Iran (KER) crashed into a mountain near Kerman Airport while in a holding pattern. All passengers and crew died.
• 03 July 1988 - flight IR655, an Iran Air Airbus A300 with 274 passengers and 16 crew enroute from Bandara Abbas (BND) to Dubai (DXB) was shot down by two surface-to-air missiles fired from the USS Vincennes CG49, a USA navy missile cruiser operating in the Gulf at the time. The US Navy said they thought the plane was an F14 fighter plane intending to attack them. There were reports that the US Navy had up and down confused - the airliner was climbing but the navy thought it was descending. All passengers and crew died.
• 04 December 1984 -
• 01 January 1978 - an Air India Boeing 747 on the way to Dubai flew into the Arabian Sea near India after takeoff from Bombay (BOM) when the pilot apparently thought he was flying the plane up instead of down, possibly due to instrument failure or inconsistency. All 190 passengers and 23 crew died.
• 01 January 1976 - a Middle East Airlines (MEA) Boeing 720 flight FL370 enroute to Dubai with 66 passengers and 15 crew crashed into the desert near Al Qaysumah in Saudi Arabia after departure from Beirut (BEY) when a bomb exploded in the luggage compartment. All occupants died.
• 14 March 1972 - a Sterling Airways Caravelle with 106 passengers and 6 crew on a flight from Colombo (CMB) to Dubai to Copenhagen flew into a mountain near Kalba (on the east coast of the UAE). All occupants died.

Last update Wednesday 24-Feb-2010

Related pages

• Airport hotel in Dubai
• Al Maktoum Airport - (previously called Jebel Ali International Airport)
• Car rental in Dubai companies include Avis, Budget, Hertz, National, Thrifty, many others.
• Drugs in Dubai - be careful with what medicines you bring to Dubai
• Dubai Metro - mass transit system in public operation from 10 September 2009
• Duty free allowances Dubai - how much you can bring in
• e-gate card
• Visa Dubai and the UAE - list of different visas and descriptions

Related websites (new window)

• www.aviation-safety.net - database of airport and aircraft accidents for Dubai and other airports
• www.dubaiairport.com - Dubai International Airport website
• www.marhabaservices.com - Marhaba Meet and Greet Services for arrival and departure passengers
• Dubai directory - add your link free

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