{"id":1761,"date":"2025-05-02T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/?p=1761"},"modified":"2025-05-06T13:06:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T13:06:06","slug":"dubai-airport-closure-set-to-impact-holidays-for-17000-daily-uk-travellers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/02\/dubai-airport-closure-set-to-impact-holidays-for-17000-daily-uk-travellers\/","title":{"rendered":"Dubai Airport closure set to impact holidays for 17,000 daily UK travellers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"An\t<\/div>
The major travel hub is set to close (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dubai<\/a> International Airport welcomes more than 90 million passengers per year, and is one of the largest in the world. But despite it being a major travel<\/a> hub, its CEO has confirmed the airport is set to close.<\/p>\n

The news will come as a shock to the millions of UK tourists that flock to the shiny city every year.<\/p>\n

While there are varying estimates of exactly how many Brits arrive in Dubai every single day, figures as high as 6.2 million \u2013 which equates to around 17,000 daily UK travellers \u2013 have previously been reported.<\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s no need to worry about upcoming holiday plans \u2014 the airport will likely remain up and running for quite some time yet, with the closure date still TBC.<\/p>\n

Boss Paul Griffiths explained that once Dubai\u2019s new Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) begins operating, there will be no need for both to remain open.<\/p>\n

\u2018There is little sense in operating two major hubs with such close proximity to one another,\u2019 he said. \u2018We will move every single service to DWC.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\tSign up to The Getaway newsletter\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
\n

Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Interior\t<\/div>
Dubai International opened in 1960 (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Speaking at industry event, Arabian Travel Market, Paul also pointed out that 65-year-old Dubai International (DXB) is getting too old to maintain.<\/p>\n

In answering a question from Skift<\/a>, he said: \u2018By then, every single asset at DXB will be close to the end of its useful operating role, so the economics of keeping DXB open will not be possible unless we invest a huge amount of money.\u2019<\/p>\n

While no specific date was given for the closure of Dubai International, we do know that the new and improved Al Maktoum is scheduled to open in 2032, and won\u2019t be fully completed until the 2050s \u2013 so there\u2019s life in DXB yet.<\/p>\n

What will become of Dubai International? It\u2019s likely to be turned into prime real estate, as is often the way in the ever-growing city.<\/p>\n

\u2018DXB will close and we\u2019ll redevelop the area. It will spread the city out,\u2019 Paul said.<\/p>\n

Al Maktoum has actually been open since 2010 for cargo flights, and began welcoming passenger planes in 2013. Currently, Easyjet operates some flight there.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"City\t<\/div>
DWC first opened only for cargo planes (Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But DWC is currently dwarfed by DXB, and very few passengers even know it\u2019s there.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all set to change though, after it was announced in 2024 that Al Maktoum will undergo a $35 billion expansion, becoming five times bigger than DXB, with capacity to welcome 260 million passengers. <\/p>\n

There will be a whopping five runways which can accommodate 400 aircraft gates.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"View\t<\/div>
People always have opinions on Dubai (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dubai is somewhat of a divisive city<\/a> \u2013 it\u2019s been dubbed the most \u2018overrated\u2019 in the world<\/a>, while also regularly topping most \u2018popular\u2019 lists from the likes of TripAdvisor.<\/p>\n

Currently, both British Airways<\/a> and Emirates<\/a> operate flights from London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

Metro has contacted Dubai Tourism Board and Dubai International Airport to clarify annual and daily UK visitor numbers.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\tThink Dubai is soulless? Head to its Highlands\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
\n

Located 90 minutes southeast of the Dubai lies\u00a0Hatta<\/strong>, nicknamed \u2018the highlands of Dubai\u2019. <\/p>\n

As a frequent visitor to\u00a0Dubai, I find myself\u00a0regularly defending the city<\/a>, and Hatta is a clear example of why there\u2019s so much more to this metropolis than meets the eye.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"A\t<\/div>
The beautiful Hatta Dam (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Formerly an Omani territory, the same Hajar Mountains that hug Hatta dam, also stretch into\u00a0Oman<\/a>. The place started life as a farming village, and is one of the oldest preserved heritage areas in the\u00a0UAE<\/a>. Now, it\u2019s getting a glow-up as a tourist attraction.<\/p>\n

Hatta dam is perhaps the most popular spot if you\u2019re visiting. You can hire kayaks or a variety of different boats, depending on the size of your party (and how much effort you want to put in).<\/p>\n

The newly opened Aerial Adventure Park has the UAE\u2019s only 12m \u2018giant swing\u2019, three zip-line experiences, and a bag jump where you free-fall onto a giant crash bag. There are different packages on offer depending which attraction you choose to swing, jump or hurl yourself off from.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Historical\t<\/div>
It\u2019s one of the oldest preserved heritage areas (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

For something a little slower paced, The Camel Farm, located inside the Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve (general admission is just \u00a36) is a family-friendly experience. As well as a chance to ride the camels or try camel hugging therapy, you\u2019ll also see other desert creatures, including gazelles, oryxes, and desert foxes.<\/p>\n

And history buffs can learn all about Hatta\u2019s past at the Hatta Heritage Village, and climb the towers of its centrepiece, Hatta Fort, built in 1896, for panoramic views of the region.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The major travel hub is set to close (Picture: Getty Images) Dubai International Airport welcomes more than 90 million passengers per year, and is one of the largest in the world. But despite it being a major travel hub, its CEO has confirmed the airport is set to close. The news will come as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1761"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1770,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761\/revisions\/1770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}