Dubai's Al Maktoum airport expansion delayed until 2030: govt

A major expansion of Dubai’s second airport Al Maktoum International will open in 2030, the emirate’s government said, five years later than officials had previously indicated. The airport will be able to handle 130m passengers a year when the first phase of a planned expansion opens in 2030, and ultimately more than 260m passengers a year, the statement, released by the Dubai government’s media office on Thursday, said. Dubai officials had previously said the first phase would open by 2025. Dubai expects to spend around $36b on the airport expansion and the Dubai World Central aviation complex where it is located. It is not the first delay to the airport’s expansion. A smaller capacity increase is a year behind schedule, although it is expected to be finished this year. At that point the airport’s capacity is expected to be 26m passengers per year.<br/>