Dubai has started awarding contracts for Al Maktoum International – which will be the world’s largest airport upon completion.

“We did assign contracts and work has really started since His Highness gave the go-ahead over a year ago,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with a final capacity of 260 million.

All operations at Dubai International (DXB) will be transferred to Dh128-billion Al Maktoum International (DWC) which will “fully absorb” DXB's operations in 10 years. "DXB will continue to serve as the primary hub to meet the needs of 100 million plus guests", the operator of both airports said in .

“When we talk about airports of that size, we have to think about how complex that can be. In Dubai, we have been engaging with teams of our two local airlines, airports and dnata and also other airlines that operate here and putting together the plan that lets us make it perfect on the day of the opening. That will, of course, take an extensive programme ahead of the opening date,” said Sheikh Ahmed.

“Just because of the size (of the airport), on the training side, opening for that day, maybe we need about 12 months,” he said, adding that even for the existing terminals, it took around 3-4 months preparations for opening day. “Because we don’t want to see any hiccups on that day.”

In an interview with selected local media outlets on Tuesday, Sheikh Ahmed said 2024-25 will be “another record year” for Emirates Group in terms of numbers.

Emirates Group reported its best-ever financial performance with a record profit of Dh18.7 billion last year, up 71 per cent from last year.

The group revenue increased 15 per cent to a new high of Dh137.3 billion, driven by strong customer demand across its businesses.

It ended 2023-24 highest-ever cash balance of Dh47.1 billion.

“We are very satisfied when it comes to our cash reserves on the airline side,” he said.

He noted that the airline also did very well when it comes to hedging fuel.

On the retrofitting of the aircraft, he said that the world’s largest international carrier is refitting 90 per cent of its fleet. “We have 261 aircraft, we have over 300 as a new order coming to the team,” he said, hinting that the airline may place an order for more aircraft at the upcoming Dubai Airshow later this year. “There will be some new announcements at the Dubai Airshow. We are thinking along those lines,” he said.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group during the press conference at Emirates Pavillion during the second day of the Arabian Travel Market at Dubai World Trade Centre on April 29, 2025. Photo: Muhammad Sajjad

In reply to a question about the impact of the global tariff row, Sheikh Ahmed said it is a “bit early for me to prejudge as we speak today. But I always remain very optimistic. I don’t think it affects business. Business is as usual.”

He said that some companies and countries are shipping cargo from one place to another due to tariff issues. “I think sometimes it could be because of a proactive approach by them in a way before things happen. There is nothing wrong with that, not to wait after things happen. I remain optimistic things will be clear and it will be a good 2025.”

Emirates chief said the airline is doing “very well in terms of traffic and seat factor on every point on the whole network. People want to fly. I didn’t see any shift in terms of decline in number of people as of today.”

While talking about the impact of geopolitical tension, Sheikh Ahmed said airlines are quick and are used to “quick reaction.”

“The world would never be free from issues that we will always need to be alert all the time. We’re seeing this lately within the region and Europe. You have to deal with it,” he added.