DUBAI (Web Desk) – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid – the ruler of Dubai who is also the vice president and prime minister of United Arab Emirates (UAE) – on Sunday approved the design of a new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport.

The project with an estimated cost of 128 billion dirhams ($34.85bn) will begin immediately as the government is building an entire new city that will home to one million people. It was explained by Sheikh Rashid’s official X – formerly known as Twitter – account.

“As we build an entire city around the airport in Dubai South, demand for housing for a million people will follow. It will host the world's leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors.”

The Al Maktoum International Airport will enjoy the world's largest capacity, reaching up to 260 million passengers. It will be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport – which is second busiest in the world.

Moreover, all operations at the Dubai International Airport would be transferred to Al Maktoum in the coming 10 years.

Having a total size of 70 square kilometres, it will accommodate 400 aircraft gates and feature five parallel runways, with new aviation technologies will be employed for the first time in the sector.

Sheikh Mohammed wrote: "We are building a new project for generations, ensuring continuous and stable development for our children so that Dubai will be the world’s airport, port, urban metropolis, and new cultural centre."

Under the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, it is projected that the city’s population will reach 7.8 million from the current total of 3.3 million, representing a 5.8 million increase. Obviously, it will require new infrastructure that can withstand the new challenges including climate change.

It envisages development of five urban centres, doubling the size of green and recreational areas, introducing integrated service centres catering to all needs of the population and making them accessible through sustainable means of mobility.

Furthermore, the master plan also mentions that 55 per cent of the population will live within 800 meters of a main public transport station as well as over 25pc increase in the spaces designated for educational health services