Dubai Is Replacing the World's Busiest International Airport

Dubai International handled a record 95.2 million passengers in 2025. So why is Dubai spending roughly $35 billion building an airport designed to eventually replace it? In this video, we break down the extraordinary expansion of Al Maktoum International Airport — a project designed for more than 260 million passengers, five runways, over 430 aircraft stands and up to 12 million tonnes of cargo every year. But this isn't simply an aviation story. We examine why Dubai needs the capacity, how the airport connects to Emirates, Dubai South, tourism, logistics and trade, and why one of the world's largest airport projects is really a bet on Dubai's entire economic model. The Gulf Ledger explores the money, infrastructure and technology reshaping the Gulf and the global economy. Sources: Dubai Airports, Government of Dubai Media Office, Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, Emirates and Oxford Economics. #Dubai #Aviation #Infrastructure #UAE