Finding an oasis in the desert is a reality by Dubai standards since the city’s first thing you will see is its luxurious and excessive infrastructure.

As soon as you land, Dubai Airport welcomes you as the starting point of your Sightseeing tour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital. You can start getting to know it even before you schedule your trip, so you will immediately have to take off to feel like you’re already at the destination you’ve chosen for your trip.

Airlines operating at Dubai Airport:

With 86.4 million passengers transiting in 2019 and more than 140 airlines operating around more than 270 destinations in the world, Dubai airport is the one that registers the most international flights in the world. DXB Airport is also the hub for Emirates (EK), Emirates SkyCargo (EK) and its subsidiary FlyDubai (FZ).

Currently, Dubai’s first commercial air hub is the fifth busiest airport for passengers and the sixth for cargo worldwide. It is because more than 60 airlines operate there, many of which are the main ones from countries located on five continents.

These include British Airways (BA), Air Canada (AC), Air France (AF), KLM (KL), Lufthansa (LH), Qantas (QF), Virgin Atlantic Airways (VS), Qatar Airways (QR), Air China (CA), China Southern Airlines (CZ), China Eastern Airlines (MU), Korean Air (KE), Philippine Airlines (PR), Singapore Airlines (SQ), Cebu Pacific (5J), Cathay Pacific (CX), IndiGo (6E), Air India (AI), EgyptAir (MS), Finnair (AY), Norwegian Air International (D8), Aeroflot (SU), and Turkish Airlines (TK).

In 2019, 373,261 international and domestic flights were registered with arrivals and departures in Dubai. Meanwhile, 2.5 million tons of cargo passed through the airport for DBX to maintain its position in the number of international flights and passengers.

Airport services:

As an airport passenger, you can access one of the most impressive Duty-Free in the world due to its large size and number of shops. Similarly, you can enjoy VIP lounges while you wait for your next flight (if you travel with certain airlines that offer these services). The VIP lounges usually included meals, TV, children’s areas, a smoking and spa lounge, Wi-Fi, and facilities for business and press conferences.

However, lounges open 24 hours a day also offer these services, many of them with snacks included so that you can have a luxurious experience and a more pleasant stay at the DXB. For example, Ahlan Business Class Lounge in Terminal 1, Ahlan Lounge at B in Terminal 3, Marhaba Lounge in Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and SkyTeam Lounge in Terminal 1 are available.

Also, the airport car park location allows you to park near any of the three terminals, with premium areas next to terminals 1 and 3. In addition, you can park for short stays of 5 hours and extended holidays with a regular bus service. Other 24-hour operating services include the food court and the cloakroom.

Hotels at and near the airport:

Suppose you must spend the night at the airport, in terminal 3. In that case, there are sleeping cabins with additional services, reclining seats in the same area, and others with armrests scattered throughout the passenger areas.

Another option is to pay or have one of the credit cards associated with the VIP lounges used while your flight arrives.

In the same DXB facilities, you can also find the Dubai International Hotel, which you can book for approximately US$150 ( 155.41EUR ). If you’re looking to stay somewhere close, opposite the airport are the Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport Hotel and the Premier Inn Dubai International Airport Hotel, where you can spend the night for around US$80 ( 82.89EUR ).

Approximately one and two kilometres around the Dubai airport, you can find alternatives to spend your days in the luxurious city with an approximate pay per night of US$50 to US$80 ( 51.8EUR to 82.89EUR ).

Five-star Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Center is 1.1 km away. More than a kilometre away, we find the five-star Roda Al Bustan Hotel, the four-star Millennium Dubai Airport Hotel and the four-star Flora Inn Hotel Dubai Airport for US$50 ( 51.8EUR ). Just under a mile away is the five-star Jumeirah Creekside Hotel.

How to go from Dubai airport to downtown:

The city is highly connected, so DXB has access and exit routes by buses, taxis, car rentals and the metro. The rate depends on the way to be travelled and the means of transport you choose, although there are pre-established rates for which you can ask before moving.

The trip from the airport to the city by taxi takes 15 to 20 minutes, and the price can vary from US$20 to US$30 ( 20.72EUR to 31.08EUR ). The Dubai Taxi Corporation taxis located in Terminal 1 can be ordered at any time and have a shuttle service from the Dubai airport to the hotel or vice versa.

Regarding the Dubai metro, there are services available in terminals 1 and 3 that depart every 10 minutes from terminals 1 and 3. You can use the lines from 5 am to 12 am and buy tickets inside the stations to go to the area. In the city, you need to go through its two bars. DBX connects with DWC on the Purple Line and Al Khail Road routes at the Dubai World Central complex.

Dubai airport facts and curiosities:

Dubai International Airport, also known as DXB according to the code of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), is the most visited air operations centre in the kingdom. Next is the Abu Dhabi International Airport or AUH.

The airfield is the most important in the Middle East due to its strategic location and the number of operations carried out. However, if you wonder how many airports there are in the country, there are five.

In addition to DXB and AUH, there are the Jebel Ali Seaplane Base (SPB) and Dubai-Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), also known as Dubai World Central, located in the city of Jebel Ali and Al Ain International Airport (AAN), located east of Abu Dhabi.

Since 1960, Dubai Airport has been located in Al Garhoud, just a terminal building and a 550 m-long compacted sand runway.

At the beginning of the century, terminals 2 and 3 were implemented with various competitions. Likewise, in the next few years, the DBX modified spaces in its buildings to suit the fleet of Airbus aircraft due to their large number.

Currently, the airport has several runways, all 4000m long or more, and multiple access ways as part of government expansion programs due to the number of passengers and air routes that increase yearly.

Likewise, the DXB airport has three terminals, the first and the third used by the airline Fly Emirates with just over 50% of the operations and the second used for regional and low-cost flights.

As part of constructing the Dubai World Central project, the royal government announced investment programs to integrate DXB and Al Maktoum and all of the city’s transportation systems into one logistics complex.