Latest news with #DXBAirport
Time Out Dubai
3 days ago
- Business
- Time Out Dubai
19 throwback photos show what DXB Airport used to look like — and you won't believe it
We could be forgiven here at Time Out Dubai for thinking our city is the centre of the universe. But this wasn't always the case. There was a time when what is now DXB Airport was just an expanse of wasteland on the edge of the burgeoning city. Over the years Dubai International Airport has undergone a significant amount of change which has seen it grow from just one sandy runway in the desert into the world's busiest airport for international travellers. You may also like: How much Dubai has changed from the 1960s to today The visual history of DXB is striking and it's high time we had a look through the archives to see just how much the airport and the city around it have changed. History of DXB: The early years Old DXB: Crowds queue up outside Dubai International Airport in 1960 (Credit: DXB Airports) While Dubai International Airport started life in 1960, the city had served as a stop en route to Pakistan from the UK as far back as the 1930s. Huge flying boats from the old British Overseas Airways Corporation would stop at Dubai Creek on their way to Karachi. Stopping in Dubai would give these slow, long-haul flights an opportunity to refuel and restock before taking flight once more. And, initially, this was the purpose Dubai International Airport served. In the 1950s, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai at the time, ordered an airport to be built since there was no direct air service to Dubai. Curiously, Sharjah did have an airport at this time which was run by the British army. This meant that people who wished to travel to Dubai would first need to fly to Bahrain, take a short flight to Sharjah then drive to Dubai. Changed days indeed. The initial desert runway of Dubai (Credit: DXB Airports) By 1960, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum had his wish. Dubai finally had its own airport. It was built on a 4km expanse of wasteland in Al Garhoud and was only capable of handling aircraft the size of a DC-3 (which could hold between 21 and 34 passengers). But Rome, or rather Dubai International, wasn't built in a day. Originally, the plan was to build an airport in Jebel Ali but this was thought to be too far from the city. We'll get to that later though. Middle East Airlines was the first to land in Dubai (Credit: DXB Airports) The old sandy runway at DXB (Credit: DXB Airport) The initial runway was sand-compacted and 1,800 metres long with three turning areas and a small terminal capable of handling around 200 passengers per day. Arrivals would take a matter of minutes as a solo immigration officer processed passports. There would have been two shops at the terminal to check out before walking out to the car park in search of a taxi. A Middle East Airlines flight was the first to arrive in Dubai. When MEA and Kuwait Airways started landing with four-engined viscounts, the runway was said to blow away. By 1965, this sandy runway made way for an asphalt one along with a number of other newly built facilities. A Gulf Aviation Heron plane on the old desert runway in the 1960s (Credit: DXB Airports) A MEA aircraft on the asphalt runway in the 1970s (Credit: DXB Airports) The 1970s saw a whole host of changes which set Dubai International Airport on the path to what we know today. A new three-storey terminal building was built, a traffic control tower was introduced, there were more taxiways, the runway lengthened, aprons were extended, and the airfield added lighting. A lot happened to modernise the airport. The bigger terminal allowed for an airport lounge to be built which gave passengers a comfortable place to hang out before they flew. The lounge at Dubai International Airport in the 1970s (Credit: Dubai Airports) The 1970s saw a whole host of changes at the airport (Credit: DXB Airports) DXB in the 1970s (Credit: DXB Airport) An aerial shot of DXB in the late 1970s (Credit: DXB Airports) An Air traffic control tower was brought in during the 1970s (Credit: DXB Airports) An aerial view of DXB in the 1970s (Credit: DXB Airports) History of DXB Airport: Emirates arrives The 1980s was a transformational period for the airport, as Dubai Duty Free began operations at DXB in 1983, a second runway was installed and Emirates started operations for the first time. The launch of Emirates came about fairly quickly after the initial idea was proposed in 1984 by Sehikh Al Maktoum. The Dubai National Air Travel Agency launched the airline within five months of it being asked in March 1985. Emirates took flight for the first time in the 1985 (Credit: Dubai Airports) The plan for Emirates was simply that it had to 'look good, be good, and make money'. And it's fair to say it's achieved that goal. You may like: How Emirates went from just two planes to world's biggest airline Similar to the initial flights all the way back in the 30s which stopped in Dubai on the way to South Asia, Emirates first flights were to Karachi and Mumbai in October of 1985. And in 1988, more than 4.3 million passengers passed through Dubai International Airport. Departures at DXB in the 1980s (Credit: DXB Airports) History of DXB Airport: Terminal 2 opens As Dubai continued to expand and grow in the 1990s, so too did its airport with a second terminal opening by the end of the millennium. In 1998, Terminal 2 opened at Dubai International Airport which increased capacity by two million passengers per annum. Dubai International Airport in the 1990s (Credit: DXB Airports) Dubai International Airport in the 1990s (Credit: DXB Airports) History of DXB Airport: The modern era Once we reached the 2000s, things started really ramping up at the airport. In 2002, it was named the fastest growing airport in the world with good reason. A Dhs2 billion project to expand the airport saw the capacity more than double from 10 million passengers to 23 million as a new concourse was constructed. The capacity grew once more in 2008 when a third terminal was built which allowed room for 60 million passengers. A year later, 40 million passengers passed through DXB for the first time as work began on another concourse and terminal 2 got a makeover ahead of the launch of flydubai. And in 2014, DXB became the world's top airport for international passenger traffic as it welcomed 70.4 million people in one year. A title it has held onto ever since. Dubai Airports 2024 (Credit: DXB) Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport (Credit: DXB) DXB: The future Earlier in 2024, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced plans for a massive Dhs128 billion expansion of the city's other airport Al Maktoum International Airport. Dubai's second airport is based in Jebel Ali (see, we did get back to it as promised), a part of the city that decision-makers want to develop, and has been in operation since 2010. A render of plans for Al Maktoum International Airport (Credit: Dubai Media Office) The plans for Al Maktoum International Airport will eventually see it have capacity for 260 million passengers once complete. Currently, it serves a small fraction of that number. But plans could take more than a decade to come to fruition. As for DXB? It is unclear what the future holds for the city's current biggest airport once Al Maktoum International is complete. Flying from Dubai soon? How to spend your stopover in Dubai – no matter how long you're here for We've got your To Do list covered 48 hours in Dubai: all the best things to do in two days Your dream itinerary for a fleeting trip Revealed: The 5 top holiday destinations for people living in the UAE Is your favourite in the top five?
Time Out Dubai
28-04-2025
- Time Out Dubai
Burj Khalifa: Rare old pictures showing how it became the world's tallest building
You can't come to Dubai or have a visitor and not take them to see the tallest building in the world. The Burj Khalifa celebrated its 15th birthday in January 2025, and the 828-metre tall skyscraper is just as impressive today as it ever has been. But what did we all do before it was around? Once upon a time (not so long ago), the Burj was just concrete under construction – a very different sight from today. If you like reading this: 18 pictures showing what DXB Airport used to look like So let's take a walk down memory lane and watch the word's tallest building climb out of the dunes. When did construction start on Burj Khalifa? Old pictures of the Burj Khalifa: The foundations of the building back in 2005 (Credit: Emaar) Construction in 2005 (Credit: Work on creating the Burj Khalifa began all the way back in 2004, when Downtown Dubai was unrecognisable from what we know today. With a building this big, you can imagine there were a lot of materials involved to create the masterpiece. And you would be correct. A jaw-dropping 330,000 cubic metres of concrete was used, along with 39,000 tonnes of steel and 103,000 square metres of glass. The design of the building is inspired by the Hymenocallis plant – better known as a spider lily or a desert rose – and resembles the plant when looking from above. The base features a triple-loved footprint inspired by the plant and the structure of the tower is made up of three wings arranged around a central hexagon core. The tower in 2006 (credit: Old Dubai: The early days of construction of the Burj Khalifa Credit: The Buj Khalifa under construction (Credit: Arabian Business) The first two years of work focused on the excavations and first 50 floors, then in 2006 construction began on reaching floor 100. Officially opening in January 2010, the tower took 22 million man hours to build, and now has a total area of 5.67million square feet. In July 2007, it officially became the world's tallest building, overtaking Taipei 101 in Taiwan, as the structure hit 141 floors. Today, there is a total of 163 floors. In November 2007, the highest reinforced concrete core walls were pumped using 80 megapascals of concrete from the ground level. Concrete was pumped up to a remarkable 601 metres. Old pictures of Burj Khalifa: How it looked in 2007 (Credit: Emaar) The Burj Khalifa as it looked in 2007 when it overtook Taipei 101 as the world's tallest building (Credit: Emaar) Burj in 2007 (Credit: ITP images) The Burj Khalifa holds nine other world records, aside from being the tallest building on the planet. Notable records include the highest outdoor observation deck, the highest residential apartments and the largest LED-illuminated façade. Naturally for a building this big, it has multiple uses with hotels, business, ultra-luxury apartments and observation decks making up the space. You may like: Burj Khalifa tickets: Everything you can do at the world's tallest building The Armani Hotel can be found from concourse level up to level eight and on level 38 and 39. It's the world's first hotel designed and developed by Giorgio Armani. Levels nine to 16 are also the realm of the Italian fashion house, with luxury branded residences taking up that space. Levels 45 to 108 are made up of private, ultra-luxury residences. A luxury penthouse went on the market in 2024 at a price of Dhs180 million. Corporate suites can be found spread over levels 112 to 154, except from level 122 which is the home of and level 124 where you'll find the At the Top observation deck. By 2009 the tower was taking shape (Credit: Imre Solt) However, a recent announcement from Saudi Arabia could see the crown taken from the Burj, as plans for a new building emerge. The Jeddah Tower, currently officially called the Jeddah Economic Company Tower, in Saudi Arabia, is set to be taller than the Burj Khalifa once complete. The iconic symbol of Dubai stands at 828 metres while the Saudi Arabian project is slated to be a minimum of 1,000 metres. Jeddah's plans for a massive world-record-breaking tower have been in the pipeline for more than a decade but building has been stop-start. Dubai before and after 18 pictures showing what DXB Airport used to look like – from 200 passengers a day to Emirates launch A visual history of the airport 20 pictures that show how much Dubai has changed from the 1950s to today Sheikh Hamdan shares an unrecognisable photo of the city 5 incredible pictures that show how Dubai Metro has changed And what's in store for the future
