Dubai Al Maktoum. Where the private aircraft actually land.
Almost all of Dubai's business aviation now arrives at Al Maktoum, out at Dubai South. The airport side is the easy part: it is open around the clock and the private terminals are purpose built. The part worth planning is the drive into town.
The airport
Al Maktoum at a glance
- CodesDWC / OMDWAlso called Dubai World Central. It sits at Dubai South, roughly 37 kilometres south west of the old centre of the city.
- Runway and hours4,500 metres, open 24 hoursLong enough for every category of business aircraft and for VIP airliners. There is no night curfew.
- Private terminalsFive on the fieldDC Aviation Al Futtaim and ExecuJet each hold a standalone terminal. Jet Aviation, Falcon Aviation and Jetex share a VIP terminal divided into three sections.
- Slots and parkingFar easier than at DXBMost business aviation movements here are facilitated rather than fought over, and ramp and hangar space is genuinely available. Your operator confirms the detail.
Dubai South is also the home of the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub, the free zone where much of the region's business aviation hangarage and maintenance sits. A second runway and a far larger passenger terminal are being built, and Dubai Airports has said scheduled traffic will move here from Dubai International over the coming years. For now the airport is quiet on the ground and quick to clear.
Journey times
From Dubai South into the city
| To | Quiet roads | Peak periods |
|---|---|---|
| Expo City and the Dubai South hotels | 10 to 15 minutes | 15 to 25 minutes |
| Dubai Marina, JBR and Bluewaters | 25 to 35 minutes | 40 to 60 minutes |
| Palm Jumeirah | 30 to 40 minutes | 45 to 65 minutes |
| Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim and Madinat | 30 to 45 minutes | 50 to 70 minutes |
| Downtown Dubai and the Burj Khalifa | 35 to 50 minutes | 55 to 80 minutes |
| DIFC and Business Bay | 35 to 50 minutes | 55 to 80 minutes |
| Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat and the corniche | 1 hour to 1 hour 20 | 1 hour 20 to 2 hours |
Realistic ranges rather than promises. Sheikh Zayed Road is the spine of the whole city and it slows badly on working mornings and again through the early evening. Cars in Dubai are arranged through operators we know; our own chauffeurs and our own cars are in London and Manchester.
Why here and not DXB
The private traffic moved south
Dubai International is one of the most heavily used airports in the world, and the pressure on slots and on stands there has been pushing business aviation out to Al Maktoum for years. The result is a straightforward split. Scheduled first class and business class arrivals still come into Dubai International. Private aircraft come here, where there are five private terminals, a great deal of ramp, hangars that can actually take a Global or a G650 for a week, and no fight for a landing time.
For the person arranging the trip, the practical difference is where the car sits. At Dubai South the car waits at the private terminal your handler has been given, a few steps from the door, and in many cases can be brought to the aircraft where the terminal permits it for your movement. Clearance is quick. The journey then genuinely begins on the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, which is why the drive time is the number that decides whether your client makes the meeting.
The other thing worth knowing is that the airport is a long way from the hotels. Anyone comparing a DWC arrival with a DXB arrival should compare door to door, not wheels down. DWC usually wins in the early morning and the early evening, because thirty minutes saved inside the terminal is worth more than fifteen minutes added to the drive.
Planning it well
What we ask about first
Six things that change the shape of a Dubai arrival. Tell us as many as you know at the enquiry stage.
- Which private terminal your handler has booked. There are five and they are not next to each other. The wrong one costs twenty minutes on the airside road
- Which way you are heading: north to the Marina and the Palm, or east to Downtown and DIFC. They are half an hour apart and the traffic behaves differently
- The time of day. Working mornings from about seven to half past nine, and evenings from five to eight, are the slow windows. The working week here runs Monday to Friday
- Summer. From May into September the middle of the day is extremely hot. We have the car waiting with the cabin already cool and the walk from the terminal door kept short
- December to March is the season. Hotels, cars and aircraft parking all tighten around the major fixtures and the long weekends, and late requests get harder
- If a yacht is involved, give us the harbour and the berth rather than the marina name alone. See yacht charter
Onward
Where Dubai arrivals go next
Request a quote
Tell us the arrival
Date and time, tail number or operator, which private terminal, passengers and luggage, and the address at the other end. We come back with a clear price and an honest drive time for that hour of that day. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Al Maktoum
Are these your own cars?
No. Our own fleet and our own chauffeurs are in London and Manchester. In Dubai cars are arranged through operators we know, and one person at Odyssey holds the whole movement together from the London end.
Can the car come to the aircraft?
Where the private terminal permits it for your movement. Otherwise the car waits at the terminal door, which at Dubai South is a very short walk. We confirm before you land.
Should we use DWC or DXB?
If you are flying privately, almost certainly DWC. If you are on a scheduled first class flight, you have no choice and you will be at Dubai International. We meet both.
Which aircraft can reach Dubai from London non-stop?
Heavy jets and ultra long range jets do it comfortably. Super midsize jets are at the edge of their range and often plan a technical stop, depending on payload and winds. See London to Dubai.
Is the airport open at night?
Yes, around the clock, with no curfew. Late arrivals and very early departures are normal here, which is one of the reasons the private traffic prefers it.
Can you arrange the aircraft as well?
Yes. See private jet charter and what charter costs.