Dubai International Airport Mini Guide
Dubai has one of the main airports in the Middle East and it is a major hub for flights going both east and west.
Because of its location, Dubai has long been used as a stopping and refuelling post for airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Air India, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines.
Dubai is the biggest of the United Arab Emirates and its airport reflects its stature. Dubai International handles more than a third of all flights going from the Middle East to Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australasia.
It is among the top 10 busiest airports in the world too in terms of the amount of passengers to use it which reached nearly 38 million last year. This massive amount of traffic led the wealthy Dubai airline Emirates to open another terminal there at the end of 2008. The new terminal is expected to bring annual passenger numbers up to a staggering 60 million people. More than 5,000 flights leave Dubai every year and they go to more than 250 destinations world wide.
With an airport this large it is a good idea to get a firm idea of where you need to go and allow plenty of time to get to your gates. Terminal three alone can claim to be the largest building in the world in terms of its floor space so it is easy to get lost.
One of the most popular past times in Dubai airport is the duty free shopping as the Emirates are well known as a shopper’s paradise because of their excellent tax free prices. There you can find everything from gifts and jewellery to tobacco and liquor at very good prices.
Among the major airlines to fly to and from Dubai terminal 1 are Air China, Air France, British Airways, Gulf Air, Lufthansa, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
In terminal two there are flights to less popular destinations such as Islamabad with Air Blue, Mogadishu with Jubba Airways and Kabul with Pamir Airways. These flights to areas in the sub continent tend to be cheaper than the flights at the other terminals.
Terminal 3 covers a huge range of destinations, everywhere from Ahmedabad to
Zurich, while Dubai International has a large number of cargo flights operating out of it as well. It’s worth knowing that terminal 2 is built at the opposite end of the airport to terminals 1 and 3.