Dubai International. Met as you clear reclaim, and in Downtown or DIFC a short drive later.
DXB is where the scheduled first class cabins land, minutes from Downtown and DIFC. It is also one of the most heavily used airports in the world, which is why most private aircraft now go to Dubai South instead. Either way, the car is the part we hold.
The airport
Dubai International at a glance
- CodesDXB / OMDBIn Al Garhoud, only a few kilometres east of the creek and about fifteen minutes from Downtown on a clear road.
- Terminals1, 2 and 3Terminal 3 is the Emirates terminal and handles the great majority of long haul first and business class arrivals from London.
- Private aviationPossible, but constrainedDXB is fully slot coordinated and stands for business aircraft are limited and tightly policed. Most Dubai business aviation has moved to Al Maktoum.
- VIP terminalAl Majlis, at Terminal 3A separate VIP facility beside Terminal 3 departures, open to eligible passengers whatever airline or cabin they are travelling in. It is booked through the airport, not through us.
We arrange cars at DXB every week for clients arriving on scheduled flights. We do not claim any relationship with the airport, with Al Majlis or with the meet and assist providers on the concourse, and we will say plainly which parts of a Dubai arrival we control and which we do not.
Journey times
From DXB into the city
| To | Quiet roads | Peak periods |
|---|---|---|
| Deira, the creek and Festival City | 10 to 20 minutes | 20 to 30 minutes |
| Downtown Dubai and the Burj Khalifa | 15 to 25 minutes | 30 to 45 minutes |
| DIFC and Business Bay | 15 to 25 minutes | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim and Madinat | 20 to 30 minutes | 35 to 55 minutes |
| Palm Jumeirah | 30 to 40 minutes | 45 to 65 minutes |
| Dubai Marina, JBR and Bluewaters | 30 to 40 minutes | 45 to 70 minutes |
| Al Maktoum, Dubai South | 40 to 55 minutes | 55 to 80 minutes |
| Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat and the corniche | 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 35 | 1 hour 35 to 2 hours 15 |
Realistic ranges. The Sheikh Zayed Road and the tunnels either side of the creek are slow on working mornings and again through the early evening. Cars in Dubai are arranged through operators we know.
Arriving on a scheduled flight
Where the car actually waits
DXB is a public airport with a large, well organised and extremely busy arrivals hall. Cars cannot come to the aircraft and there is no kerbside arrangement that gets round that. What makes the difference is the handover: someone standing in the right place, holding the right board, who knows the flight is thirty five minutes early and has already moved the car.
For a Terminal 3 arrival we agree the meeting point before you fly, usually at the exit from baggage reclaim or at a named point in the arrivals concourse, and the chauffeur waits there rather than in the car. If you have bought a fast track or a meet and assist product through the airline or the airport, we work to it and meet you wherever that service hands you over. If you have booked the Al Majlis VIP terminal, the car comes to that building instead of the main hall.
Flights are tracked from the moment they leave London. Dubai arrivals from Europe cluster in the very early morning, so a thirty minute swing in the landing time is common and the waiting time is where a badly planned transfer goes wrong. We would rather have the car circling for twenty minutes than have you standing in the hall.
Planning it well
Things worth knowing
The DXB details that change a booking, and the ones people forget until the day.
- Tell us the terminal, not just the flight number. Terminal 1, 2 and 3 have separate arrivals halls and separate car access. A guess costs fifteen minutes
- If your client is flying privately, ask the operator to look at Al Maktoum first. Slots and stands at DXB are hard to get and aircraft parked outside their allocated area are charged accordingly
- Luggage matters more here than most places. Long stays and shopping fill a boot quickly. If there are more than three passengers with full cases, we will suggest a V-Class or a second car
- Summer, roughly May to September, is very hot. The car waits with the cabin already cool and we keep the walk short
- Onward domestic legs to Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah are usually quicker by road than by air once you count the airport time at both ends
- Groups arriving on the same flight but in different cabins come through at different times. Tell us and we will plan one car per group rather than one car that waits for everyone
Onward
Around a Dubai trip
Request a quote
Tell us the flight
Flight number, terminal, passengers and luggage, and the address in Dubai. If a meet and assist service is already booked, say which one and we will work to it. We come back with a clear price and a realistic drive time. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About DXB transfers
Are these your own cars?
Our own fleet and our own chauffeurs are in London and Manchester, and a trusted global network covers everywhere else. In Dubai cars are arranged through operators we know. The point of using us is that one person in London holds both ends of the journey.
Can you meet us inside the terminal?
Yes. We agree the meeting point in advance, usually at the exit from reclaim or at a named point in the arrivals concourse. See meet and greet.
Can you arrange the fast track or the VIP terminal?
Those are airport and airline products and we do not sell them. Tell us if you have bought one and we will plan the car around it, meeting you at the point where it ends.
Can a private jet use DXB?
Sometimes, and your operator will tell you whether a slot and a stand are available for your dates. In practice most private movements now use Al Maktoum, which is open around the clock and far less constrained.
What if the flight is early or delayed?
We track it. The car is timed to the actual landing, not to the schedule, and we would rather absorb waiting time than leave you looking for your car.
Can you arrange the return leg privately?
Yes. See private jet charter, what charter costs and London to Dubai.