Dubai International Airport is the international airport serving Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates. The airport is a hub to Dubai's international airline, Emirates. In 2005, the airport served 24.7 million passengers. Dubai International Airport will be complemented by Dubai World Central International Airport, a new 140 km² airport that will help handle the influx of travelers well into the future.
Dubai International Airport was conceived in 1959, when Sheik Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum first ordered construction. It was inaugurated in 1960 with DC-3 plane flights and was home to nine airlines. Today, the airport handles all kinds of jets. Part of the airport's Terminal 3 collapsed on September 28, 2004 during the construction phase. The terminal was designed by French architect Paul Andreu. Andreu also designed Terminal 2E at Paris' Charles de Gaulle International Airport, which had part of the structure collapse on May 23, 2004.
The Airport is currently undergoing a major expansion with the construction of Terminal 3 and new 60 meter wide and longer runway. This expansion will make the Airport fully Airbus A380 compatible.
The Airport will also undergo an expansion to allow two stations of the Green Line of the Dubai Metro to be built within the complex. One station will be constructed in Terminal 1 and the other in Terminal 3. The Metro system is not expected to be fully operational until 2012.
Dubai International Airport is the home to Dubai Duty Free, which is regarded as the best Duty free in the world. Because of the many stores in the airport, it is considered a major place to buy duty free goods in that country, which is in turn considered a duty free shopping heaven, by many. Prices actually are higher than in many other airports.