1990 – 2000
The growth story of Dubai International continued during the 90s, with passenger traffic approaching 10 million in 1998, a growth of 125 per cent in the decade from 1988-1998. Dubai's focus on transforming itself into a global tourist attraction and the ambitious expansion plans of the national carrier Emirates Airline fuelled the growth of Dubai International. Traffic continued to rise, maximising capacity utilisation of the airport's single Terminal and spurring plans for major expansion projects.
Dubai International became a two terminal airport on May 1, 1998, with the launch of Terminal 2. Built as part of the first phase of a multi-million dollar expansion project, Terminal 2 increased Dubai International's capacity by 3 million passengers per annum and relieved congestion in Terminal 1.
Terminal 2 caters to scheduled, charter and special interest flights during special occasions. It is also home to Dubai’s budget airline flydubai, which launched operations on June 1, 2009.
The opening of the Sheikh Rashid Terminal, also known as Terminal 1, in April 2000 marked the opening of a new chapter in Dubai’s aviation history. Built as part of the first phase of the general expansion project at a cost of AED2 billion, the Terminal increased the Airport’s capacity from 10 million to 25 million.
2000 – 2010
In 2002 Dubai International was ranked the second fastest growing airport in the world according to Airports Council International (ACI) traffic statistics. The facility handled around 18 million passengers in 2003 and was established as the aviation hub of the Middle East.
Dubai Airports opened the much-awaited Dubai International Terminal 3 for the exclusive use of Emirates Airline. The flawless opening of the world’s largest single terminal not only expanded Dubai International’s capacity to 60 million, it won the airport accolades from passengers and the aviation industry worldwide.
Work is currently in progress at Concourse 3, which as part of the Terminal 3 complex will be for the exclusive use of Emirates Airline. Expected to be ready in 2012, the world’s largest A380-dedicated facility will increase Dubai International’s capacity to 75 million passengers.
Dubai Airports is also opening the first phase of Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC) for cargo operations in June 2010. Work on the remaining phases of the mega-airport will continue through the coming decade to give Dubai an unparalleled aviation infrastructure with capacity for 160 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo annually.
With 46 million passengers and two million tonnes of cargo projected for 2010 Dubai is fast emerging as one of the fastest growing major hubs and is ranked among the world's top 5 airports in terms of international passenger and cargo traffic. Passenger traffic at Dubai’s airports is expected to reach 98 million by 2020 while cargo will increase by 48 per cent to surpass 3 million tonnes by 2015.