<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-center">History Al Maktoum International Airport</h2>
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<li class="blog-li"><strong> Construction:</strong> The 4,500 m &times; 60 m (14,800 ft. &times; 200 ft.) runway was completed in 600 days and subsequently underwent tests over the following six to eight months in order to fulfil its CAT III-C requirements. Construction of the airport's cargo terminal, the Al Maktoum Airport Cargo Gateway, which cost around US$75 million, was 50% complete by the end of 2008. During the first phase of the project, the airport is planned to handle around 200,000 t (200,000 long tons; 220,000 short tons) of cargo per year, with the possibility of increasing to 800,000 t (790,000 long tons; 880,000 short tons) The passenger terminal at this phase is designed to have a capacity of 5 million passengers per year. It was planned to be the largest airport in the world in terms of freight handled, moving up to 12 million tonnes (12,000,000 long tons; 13,000,000 short tons) per year in 2013.</li>
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<p class="blog-para pb-lg-2">The project was originally expected to be fully operational by 2017, although the 2007&ndash;2012 global financial crisis subsequently postponed the completion of the complex to 2027. Previous working names for the airport complex have included "Jebel Ali International Airport", "Jebel Ali Airport City", and "Dubai World Central International Airport". It has been named after the late Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the former ruler of Dubai. The total cost of the airport has been estimated by the Dubai government to be $82 billion. The Dubai Central airport in Dubai has also been called a white elephant</p>
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<li class="blog-li"><strong>Operations:</strong> Al Maktoum International Airport opened on 27 June 2010 with one runway and only cargo flights. The first flight into the airport occurred on 20 June 2010, when an Emirates Sky Cargo Boeing 777F landed after a flight from Hong Kong. The flight served as a test for various functions such as air traffic control, movement of aircraft on the ground, and security. According to Emirates, the flight was an "unmitigated success".</li>
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<p class="blog-para pb-lg-2">On 24 February 2011, the airport was certified to handle passenger aircraft with up to 60 passengers. The first passenger aircraft touched down on 28 February 2011, an Airbus A319CJ. The airport officially opened for passenger flights on 26 October 2013 with Nas Air and Wizz Air as the two carriers to operate from the airport.</p>
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<li class="blog-li"><strong>Expansion plans:</strong> The airport is supposed to complement Dubai International Airport, some 40 km (25 mi) away. The airport is planned to be the largest component of Dubai World Central, with a surface area of more than 280 square kilometers (110 so mi). If completed as planned, the airport will have an annual cargo capacity of 12 million tonnes (12,000,000 long tons; 13,000,000 short tons), and a passenger capacity of 160 to 260 million people per year. It is supposed to become the largest airport in the world in both physical size and passenger volume. It will be surrounded by a logistics hub, a luxurious golf resort, a trade and exhibition facility with 3 million square meters of exhibition space, a commercial district, and a residential and hotel area.</li>
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<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100" title="History Al Maktoum International Airport" src="../../../main/img/airport/almak/a.webp" alt="History Al Maktoum International Airport"></p>