Dubai plans to relocate its international airport for $35 billion over the next 10 years.

Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, will move its operations to the city state's second-largest airfield in its southern desert "over the next 10 years" as part of a nearly $35 billion project, its ruler said Sunday. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's announcement was the latest chapter in the recovery of his long-haul carrier Emirates after a coronavirus pandemic blocked international travel.

There were plans to relocate the operations of the airport known as DXB to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai World Central, which were also postponed due to the consequences of the economic crisis in the emirate in 2009. "We are building a new project for future generations, ensuring continuous and stable development for our children and their children in turn," Sheikh Mohammed said in an online statement. "Dubai will become the airport of the world, its port, its urban center, and its new global hub."

Image and specifications of the new airport

The announcement included computer images of a curved, white terminal resembling traditional Bedouin tents of the Arabian Peninsula. According to the statement, the airport will feature five parallel runways and 400 aircraft gates. Currently, the airport has only two runways, just like Dubai International Airport.

The financial position of the carrier Emirates and its prospects

The financial health of carrier Emirates served as a barometer for the aviation industry around the world and the broader economic health of this city state. Dubai and the airline recovered quickly from the pandemic, promoting tourism even as some countries more slowly emerged from their pandemic hibernation.

The number of passengers flying through DXB last year exceeded the total for 2019, reaching 86.9 million passengers.

Development of infrastructure around the new airport

Mohammed Sheikh's announcement highlighted Dubai's plans for further expansion to the south. Already, near the direction of "Expo 2020," housing is being offered to buyers. "As we build an entire city around the airport in South Dubai, the demand for housing for a million people will follow," said the ruler of Dubai. "It will host leading companies in the fields of logistics and air transport."

However, financial pressures in the past have hindered relocation. The 2009 Dubai financial crisis, triggered by the Great Recession, forced Abu Dhabi to provide the city with $20 billion in aid. Meanwhile, the city-state is still trying to recover from the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the UAE, which disrupted flights and commerce for several days.