[CLSTR]
< Back to situation

[REVISION HISTORY]

Al Maktoum International Airport APM and aviation shift

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-18 06:21 UTC → 2026-10-05 09:14 UTC · added removed

The Dubai Aviation City Corporation (DACC) has awarded a contract to develop an Automated People Mover (APM) system for the Al Maktoum International Airport expansion. The project is being executed by a consortium including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), MHI Mobility Engineering Services (MHI-MESC), and the Indian engineering group Larsen & Toubro (L&T). The driverless system is designed to be the world’s largest airport APM, featuring a 50-kilometre network with 165 vehicles connecting nine stations across the airport campus. This network will be more than six times the length of the current longest airport APM system located at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. MHI and MHI-MESC will lead design, procurement, testing, and system integration, while L&T manages subsystems including guideways, power distribution, signaling, and telecommunications. Scheduled for completion in December 2031, the APM system supports the airport’s long-term expansion goals to facilitate 260 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of freight annually. This expansion infrastructure development coincides with a broader aviation major strategic shift as in Dubai’s aviation landscape. Dubai prepares International Airport (DXB), which has operated since 1960 and handles over 90 million passengers annually, is set to transition primary close for commercial passenger traffic in the long term. Due to rapid urban growth limiting the potential for physical expansion at the DXB site, flight operations from Dubai International (DXB) will be gradually relocated to Al Maktoum International (DWC) due to DXB approaching maximum capacity. Airport. Major airlines, including Emirates and flydubai, are preparing for this transition, with flydubai expected to begin a phased relocation to DWC by the start of 2027. To support this growth, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Airports are working to integrate road, public transport, and aviation networks to support the Dubai South district.

Versions

  1. 2026-10-05 09:14 UTC Al Maktoum International Airport APM and aviation shift
  2. 2026-09-18 06:21 UTC Al Maktoum International Airport APM and aviation shift
  3. 2026-08-25 07:42 UTC Al Maktoum International Airport APM project

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.