Dubai has awarded a contract for a 50km automated people mover system at Al Maktoum International Airport, set to be the largest of its kind in the world.
Dubai Aviation City Corporation has awarded a contract for an automated people mover system at Al Maktoum International Airport, delivering what its developer says will be the largest airport transit system of its kind in the world. The system will span approximately 50 kilometers and connect nine stations, an unprecedented scale for an airport people mover anywhere.
The contract was awarded to a three-company consortium made up of Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, its Dubai-based subsidiary MHI Mobility Engineering Services, and the Indian engineering group Larsen and Toubro. The system will comprise 165 automated vehicles, with completion scheduled for December 2031, ahead of the airport’s planned opening in 2032.
The scale of the network sets it apart from existing airport systems. At around 50 kilometers, it will far exceed the 8-kilometer automated people mover currently operating at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in the United States, according to Khaleej Times. Automated people movers are commonly used at large hub airports to connect terminals and concourses without passengers having to leave the secure area of the airport.
The system will run beneath the airport and link its terminals and major facilities, connecting the different sections of the site through a network of tracks. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and its Dubai subsidiary will lead the design, procurement, and testing of the vehicles and the signaling system, along with overall system integration. Larsen and Toubro will handle the design, procurement, and testing of other subsystems as well as on-site construction work.
For a facility of Al Maktoum’s planned size, an extensive internal transport network is considered essential. The airport is being built on a far larger footprint than the existing Dubai International Airport, making efficient movement between its terminals and concourses central to its operation.
Dubai Al Maktoum Airport Expansion and Passenger Capacity
The people mover forms part of the first phase of Dubai’s wider development of Al Maktoum International Airport, a large-scale national project aimed at establishing one of the world’s biggest hub airports. Once fully operational, the airport is expected to handle 260 million passengers annually, with further phased expansion planned beyond that. It is also designed to handle 12 million tonnes of freight a year.
The award is one of a series of major contracts issued as work accelerates on the project, which is being implemented through Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries previously took part in the construction of the Dubai Metro, completed in 2011.
Officials say the new network will smooth passenger flow, cut travel times, and support efficient operations as the airport scales up to meet rising aviation demand in the region. The emirate intends to transfer its aviation operations to Al Maktoum International over the coming decade as the facility is built out in phases.
