Dubai International Airport

Dubai International Airport (DXB ^IATA) is the largest hub in the Middle East and the home base of Dubai's government-owned flag carrier Emirates and likewise government-owned low-cost airline FlyDubai. The airport has grown at such a furious pace that the present terminals are bursting at the seams, especially during the peak hours around midnight. The airport is one of the few that has non-stop flights to all inhabited continents, operated by Emirates, some of which are among the longest non-stop flights in the world.

Understand

Dubai Airport is in the Deira district in the northern part of Dubai. Originally established in the late 1930s, this giant airport is the premier air gateway to the United Arab Emirates, the busiest airport in the world for international passenger traffic and the Middle East's foremost hub airport. The national flag carrier Emirates is the main airline in Dubai and offers the best connections.

Flights

25°15′25″N 55°21′36″E

Map of Dubai International Airport

The airport has three terminals, as follows:

Terminal 1
The main terminal (although not the biggest) is used by most major airlines and long-haul flights. Concourse D is part of this terminal.

Concourse D

Terminal 2
Regional flights (mainly the Persian Gulf and South Asia region) and low-cost flights, including most FlyDubai flights.

Terminal 3
The second largest building in the world by floor space, this terminal is only used by Emirates and some flydubai flights, speaking to the size of their hub.

Concourse A

Concourse B

Concourse C

Gates are usually labelled by the concourse number.

Most airlines have a designed area within their terminal. E.g. Lufthansa group (Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian) use Terminal 1F as check-in.

Ground transportation

Getting between Dubai Airport and various parts of Dubai and Sharjah is relatively quick and easy. There are also options to travel to the capital Abu Dhabi, just an hour or so away by road.

By taxi

Most visitors opt for public taxis from the airport, which use the meter and start at 25 dirham. They are readily available just outside arrivals. They are on the left when you come out of terminal 1. A trip to Dubai Marina may cost around 100 dirham, and a trip to the Abu Dhabi city centre costs 300 dirham.

Be careful! If you look rich or Western, the taxi dispatcher may steer you towards a line of black limousines beyond the main taxi rank. If so, decline politely and take one of the regular taxis. The limo taxis have a higher rate for no significant benefit in comfort, so it is better to take the normal cream coloured taxis.

By metro

Terminals 1 and 3 each have a station for the Dubai Metro Red Line; they are in Zone 5 of the line. Trains depart every 10 minutes between about 6AM and midnight, except Friday (between 1PM and 1AM).

By bus

Buses serve all three terminals. There are buses just opposite the exit gates after baggage claim, the most useful for visitors being lines 401 and 402 (3 dirham), which go to the Al Sabkha and Al Ghubaiba bus terminals respectively. Tickets cannot be bought from driver so you'll have to buy NOL card before stepping into the bus.

Emirates offers complementary coach services for its economy class passengers from T3 to Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

See Abu Dhabi Airport and Sharjah Airport (Getting there and away) for more details on how to connect between them and DXB.

By car

All terminals have extensive parking lots.

Get around

Terminals 1 and 3 are directly connected to each other via the airside (no immigration needed for transfer) and are models of modern airport design. Terminal 2 is on the other side of the airport and is reminiscent of developing-world airports, with long check-in lines, queue jumping and every second passenger checking in 70 kg of luggage.

There is a poorly publicized connection airside service provided between Terminal 2 and the other two terminals as follows:

Upon arriving off your flight at the hall, just before the immigration counters ask an official where is the connection to Terminal 1 or 3.
They will direct you to the Marhaba counter.
At the counter show your existing incoming ticket, ticket claim sticker, ongoing ticket and passport.
They will request the baggage handling system to redirect your luggage to your outgoing flight. If the luggage has already passed through to the baggage claim then they will send someone to manually collect the luggage. They will give you a receipt with a new tracking number, which you will need if your luggage goes missing.
They will then redirect you to the "Connections" counter. Here you will get a ticket for the shuttle bus.
Go to the shuttle bus for the appropriate terminal. These run every 20 to minutes.
Once in Terminal 1 or 3 follow the "Connections" arrows to and go through the security check.
Once though the security check go to the "Connections" counter to check-in and obtain your boarding passes. This opens for your flight three hours before departure.

It takes approximately 60 minutes from landing until you reach the "Connections" desk in Terminal 1 or 3. There is no charge for the above service and at no stage do you go through immigration. The service also works in the other direction.

If you end up going through immigration to the landside it is believed that there are free shuttle buses running between the three terminals every 20 to 30 minutes. However a 30 min taxi ride may be your only option. A low-cost option for traveling to Terminal 2 is to catch the metro to a nearby station, such as Abu Hail metro station, and from there take a 5 minute taxi ride to Terminal 2.

Wait

Despite being one of the world's largest airports, DXB has relatively few amenities or things to see for economy class passengers. Waiting is an essential part of DXB. Due to its stellar growth, facilities and infrastructure are always stretched. Expect queues for pretty much everything during peak hours (around midnight) and uncomfortably crowded waiting areas. The upside is that many people sleep in corners and below the benches, so the atmosphere is not dominated by pushy business travellers. If you are tired and have to wait, ensure you have an alarm set to avoid missing your flight. That said, If you are a first or business class passenger with Emirates, the first and business class lounges are known for their opulent luxury, and take up entire floors, making Dubai one of the best airports in the world for premium passengers to transit.

Lounges

There are a number of VIP lounges at the airport for the use of business and first class passengers, as well as holders of certain credit cards.

Ahlan Lounge, Terminal 3 - Arrivals level prior to passport control. (updated Apr 2018)
Al Majis Lounge. (updated Apr 2018)
British Airways Lounge (1st floor of terminal 2 (concourse D) - there will be signs for the lounges). Relatively small, but clean and comfortable lounge. Has a separate area for First class travellers. Free for flyers in business / first, eligible members of the BA Executive Club, or Oneworld Frequent Flyers. (updated Feb 2024)
Business Class Lounge. (updated Apr 2018)
Dubai International Business Class. (updated Apr 2018)
Dubai International First Class. (updated Apr 2018)
Emirates Lounges. (updated Apr 2018)
- Emirates Business Lounge. (updated Apr 2018)
- Emirates First Class Lounge. (updated Apr 2018)
First Class Lounge. (updated Apr 2018)
Gulf Air Lounge. (updated Apr 2018)
Lufthansa Lounge. (updated Apr 2018)
Marhaba Lounge. (updated Apr 2018)
SkyTeam Lounge. (updated Apr 2018)
Special Handling Lounge. (updated Apr 2018)
Unaccompanied Minor Lounge. (updated Apr 2018)

Eat

There are plenty of fast food and fine dining restaurants located in all three terminals of the airport.

Terminal 1

Chowking Orient Restaurant
Mezze Express
Nestle Toll House
Taste of India

Terminal 2

Hatam
Subway
MacDonalds
KFC
Paul
Costa
Bombay Chopati. (updated May 2018)

Terminal 3

Delizie
The rupee room Express
Cho Gao
Giraffe
Jack’s Bar & Grill
Le Pain Quotidien
Moet Champagne Bar
Picnic
Umaizushi
Wafi Gourmet Restaurant
Caviar House
Cosi
Heineken Lounge
Ocean Basket
Red Carpet Cafe & Seafood Bar

If you happen to be in a long layover at the terminal 2, the Food Castle Express Restaurant is located within 1 km of the arrivals section.

Drink

There are plenty of coffee shops and drink establishments located in all three terminals of the airport.

Buy

The airport is famous for its duty-free shopping. However, prices in the airport's duty-free stores are equal or higher than what you can find in the many malls of the city. Alcohol here is very cheap, though. Alcohol is also available at an inbound duty free store situated in the baggage reclaim area. The amount of alcoholic beverages and beers should not exceed 4 liters of alcohol beverages, or 2 cartons of beer (each consisting of 24 cans, not exceeding 355 ml for each can or its equivalent).

Connect

All three terminals have free of charge Wi-Fi access for unlimited time. Simply select the “DXB Free Wifi” and it connects without asking for any phone number details, although coverage and speed can be spotty at times. There are standalone computer terminals at all terminals with access to the Internet.

Cope

Sleep

There are three hotels within the airport complex. A 300-room, five-star hotel in Concourse C of Terminal 1, a 4-star hotel and a 5-star hotel in Concourse A of Terminal 3. DXB is within the Deira district of Dubai which offers a wide range of hotels.

The Dubai International Hotel (Terminals 1 and 3), ☏ + 9714 224 4000, reservations@dubaiintlhotels.com. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: noon. (updated Mar 2017)

Private aviation

Dubai is home to a thriving aviation community, with private planes and business jets traveling between London, Moscow, and the United States on a daily basis. There are numerous FBOs to accommodate travelers separate from the commercial terminals, and companies such as PrivateFly and Dubai Private Jet Charter offer on-demand charter flights on a variety of planes, from Gulfstreams and VIP airliners to twin-engine pistons and helicopters for small groups and individuals.

Nearby

Dubai Creek Golf Club is 5-10 minutes by taxi or 15 minutes by Metro and walk.

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