The airport which is located on 55,000 acres began construction 2006 and on June 27, 2010, partially opened with one runway began accepting cargo flights. It is expected that Al Maktoum International Airport will be completed by 2027. 

When completed it is reported that Al Maktoum International Airport will handle 12 million tons of cargo and 160 million passengers per year making it the largest passenger and cargo hub in the world at a cost of $32.67 billion. 

The airport will have six parallel runways, three passenger terminals and 16 cargo terminals, hotels and shopping malls, with aircraft maintenance facilities that will support A, B, and C checks on all aircraft to include the A380 and the B787. 

At present the airport has completed phase 1 of construction. The airport currently has the capacity to handle 600,000 tons of cargo annually, operates 24 hours a day on an A380-compatible 14,700 foot runway. Facilities include 64 aircraft stands (10 of which are Code F), a state of the art ATC Tower, fire stations, line maintenance services, a fuel farm and a 66,000 square meter, single-level passenger terminal.