Dubai is the most incredible city in the world. It is simply impossible to remain indifferent to him; he surprises and amazes at every step. Even if you come here for the tenth time, you cannot say for sure that you know Dubai.
Naturally, acquaintance with the city begins at the airport. In Dubai, it is one of the busiest on the planet, so at the moment an incredible surprise is being prepared for travelers - Al Maktoum. This airport is a real fairytale city, from which you simply do not want to return to the real world.
Dubai: Arabian Tale
We think you should not talk about all the wonders of Dubai. Probably, most tourists managed to visit this city and appreciate the magnificent beaches, fascinating shopping and the amazing architecture of skyscrapers that rise above what was once a lifeless desert.
Not surprisingly, the Dubai International Airport looks like the city itself. It is luxuriously decorated and filled with friendly staff. Only in recent years, tourists began to notice that moving around the airport was quite difficult. Everywhere there are crowds of people hurrying on their flight. According to analysts, this complex is on the verge of its capabilities. For several years now, it has been operating at maximum capacity and requires immediate unloading.
Enterprising Arabs actively took up the problem and in 2010 introduced the world to Al Maktoum, an airport that was well ahead of its time. Despite the fact that it is still under construction, all travelers predict the glory of the most luxurious air gate in the world.
Al Maktoum: A Short Description
Al Maktoum International Airport is located almost in the center of Dubai, only forty-four kilometers from the main streets. The distance between the main airport and the new air gate is seventy kilometers, so you should not buy transit flights in the future, providing for movement between these two points.
The new airport is located near the most fashionable area of the city - Dubai Word Central, and the artificial island so loved by tourists is also very close.
In the near future, Al Maktoum is scheduled to be put into operation at full load, which will significantly reduce the passenger flow of Dubai International Airport. Soon, for all tourists arriving in the United Arab Emirates, the combination of Dubai - Al Maktoum will become familiar. The airport will have to take over more than half of all scheduled and charter flights of all airlines in the world.
Opening of a new international airport
The first flight was accepted at the new airport in September 2010. This allowed tourists to appreciate the scale of the future airport city, as the locals already call it.
By 2013, several freight terminals and one passenger terminal were already operating in it. Runways are adapted to accept aircraft of all known types. One cargo terminal is capable of accepting up to 250,000 tons of cargo per year.
Al Maktoum - Dream Airport
The airport is currently under testing. Some of its premises are not yet fully completed, but even without them this incredible complex is simply amazing.
"Al Maktoum" consists of four airport terminal buildings, each of which is made in its own style and is replete with all kinds of details that attract the eye of a tourist during the inspection. The planned capacity of the airport is about 160 million passengers a year, cargo reception has a limit of 12 million tons. Such capabilities make Al Maktoum the most powerful in the world.
But what makes the new air gate surprising is not this fact at all, but the attitude towards the terminal's infrastructure. We can say that Al Maktoum is an airport located inside a complex system. It includes a lot of objects - villas, cottages, hotels with a high level of service, cinemas and even kindergartens with schools. There has never been a project like this before.
The architects' ambitiousness led to the endless postponement of the final deadlines for the complex. Now the construction is planned to be completed in four years. Since last year, a large part of what Al Maktoum will be in operation has been commissioned.
Airport: first traveler reviews
Tourists who were lucky enough to visit the new airport, noted its scale. Currently, the building has forty-two check-in desks for the flight, which significantly reduces the waiting time in the queue.
Travelers are available regular and online registration. Any of them ends forty minutes before boarding. Keep in mind that all vacationers arriving in Dubai must undergo a retinal scan. This process awaits you at the new airport.
All tourists note that Al Maktoum has a lot of infrastructure. There are a large number of recreation areas, from the simplest to the VIP class. You can grab a bite to eat in various cafes and restaurants: all the most popular fast food chains, as well as world leaders in the restaurant business are represented here. It offers passengers always available free internet.
If you enjoy shopping, you will enjoy the duty free shopping area. True, passengers note that in terms of rubles, prices in local stores are a bit high. But Arab sweets and other local products can be bought at very affordable prices.
Now, knowing that a new international airport has opened in Dubai, carefully look at the name of the arrival point when buying tickets. Perhaps you are lucky and you can see the beautiful Al Maktoum with your own eyes.