Dubai International opened in 1960 with a single 1,800-meter runway of compacted sand, at a time when Dubai was still a modest Gulf trading port. An asphalt runway and a proper terminal followed within the decade.
The airport grew steadily on the back of an open-skies policy that welcomed any airline willing to serve the emirate. The founding of Emirates in 1985, launched with just two leased aircraft, transformed the airport's trajectory, tying its fortunes to a carrier whose stated ambition was to connect every corner of the planet through Dubai with one stop.
Terminal 3, opened in 2008 exclusively for Emirates, was among the largest buildings in the world by floor area, and Concourse A, added in 2013, was the first facility anywhere purpose-built for the Airbus A380.
In 2014 Dubai International overtook London Heathrow to become the world's busiest airport for international passengers, a title it has held ever since. With the site hemmed in by the growing city, Dubai approved plans in 2024 to eventually shift operations to the far larger Al Maktoum International, though DXB remains the emirate's dominant gateway for now.