This year Dubai International will welcome its one billionth passenger…

Dubai International airport is the world’s busiest airport by international traffic serving more than 88.2 million passengers annually and connecting more than 240 destinations across six continents.

It’s home to three massive terminals with a class-leading facilities including the US$1.2 billion Concourse D and the world’s first and largest purpose-built A380 facility.  And let’s not forget that it acts as home base to Emirates, one of the world’s most celebrated airlines.

Those are some pretty impressive stats but it wasn’t always like that. When it opened in 1960, DXB was a humble one-terminal affair with a runway made of compacted sand. Oh, how things change.

Later this year, Dubai International is set to welcome its one billionth(!) passenger and Dubai Media Office have shared some classic photos of the old airport that show just how far it has come.

The original airport opened in 1960 with a 1,800-metre-long runway made of compacted sand

The first big jets didn’t start landing at DXB until 1966 after an asphalt runway was installed

Emirates wasn’t founded until 1985, before then it was mostly frequented by Middle East Airlines and Kuwait Airways

From humble beginnings…

To the shining example of aviation traffic control it is today

– For more about Dubai straight to your newsfeed, follow us on Facebook.

Images: Dubai Media Office