Emirates says full shift from DXB will take up to 3 days once Al Maktoum Airport is ready

Emirates will be migrating operations from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to the upcoming Al Maktoum International Airport in a maximum of three days after the latter is functional, said a senior official on Monday.

“There will be a short period of time where we're going to migrate from here (DXB) to there (Al Maktoum). The system there will be completely independent of what we have here. The operation of it might be done overnight," said Adel Al Redha, deputy president and chief operations officer of Emirates Airline.

Recommended For You

French court orders early release from jail for ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy

From videos to albums: Chile’s presidential race hits a musical note

India trade delegation to visit Moscow as US tariffs hit exports

Rory’s stage gets bigger: Emirates NBD steps into the heart of the DP World Tour Play-offs

Indian cricketer sets new record with eight sixes in a row

 

"I don't think it'll be a prolonged transition period between DXB and Al Maktoum Airport. Once we have everything functional there, it's just a matter of shutting down here and moving there. It might require, I think, a day or two, maximum, three days”.

He was speaking during a fireside chat at the ForsaTEK 2025 – an annual event hosted by Emirates Group to showcase its innovation, proof of concepts, technology and start-up ecosystems.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

In April 2024, Dubai announced that all operations at Dubai International will relocate to Dh128-billion Al Maktoum Airport upon completion in 10 years.

As reported by Khaleej Times earlier, Dubai has already started awarding contracts for the construction of the new airport which will have a capacity to handle 260 million passengers annually when it is fully operational.

Al Redha also gave a peek into how passengers will seamlessly complete the immigration process.

He revealed that passengers will just walk through the “technology-based airport” without even realising that they’re undergoing the checking and immigration process, thanks to biometrics tech at the new airport.

“I give you an example of what we are looking at. When you walk through the immigration, you might be walking through a ring. You will not need to present your passport and you will not even see an attendant. The ring will be part of the infrastructure and design, so you just walk through it without realising that you're actually being processed to fly out of the country. The same thing when you go to the lounge or take a buggy or train. Whatever movement you are undergoing will be linked with your biometric identification,” he said during the fireside chat on Monday.

Similarly, he pointed out that the world’s largest international carrier will be deploying autonomous cars and trucks at the new airport.

“We don't want to rely on people driving trucks around the airport. The technology is there; the commitment is there. We are just trying to find the companies who can work with us,” he said, adding that more focus will be on the technology.

Waheed Abbas

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

Waheed Abbas is Assistant Editor, covering real estate, aviation and other business stories that directly affect the lives of UAE consumers. He frequently reports human interest stories, too.