Dubai is betting on smaller planes to redraw the map of long-haul travel. Speaking at the World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit in Malta, Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths said modern narrow-body jets — aircraft that can now fly far longer distances on far fewer passengers — will let regional airports plug directly into global hubs.
His example: imagine nonstop flights from Exeter, Valencia, Lyon, Marseille or Baden-Baden to Dubai, with onward connections to the rest of the world from there. No more trekking to a mega-hub in London or Frankfurt just to catch a long-haul flight. Griffiths expects the next decade to be a growth window for secondary airports, provided they sort out their ground transport links — something he called a smart investment for regional economies.
The comments come alongside Dubai's own mega-project. Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) is being expanded into what's slated to be the world's largest airport, a plan announced in 2024. When finished around 2032, it will have 400 terminal gates and five runways, with capacity for up to 260 million passengers a year. The stated ambition is direct connections from Dubai to more than 600 cities.
There's a sustainability thread, too. Griffiths called sustainable aviation fuel "probably the only way" aviation can eliminate carbon emissions, praising Singapore's green fuel tax as a model. His prescription: governments mandate gradually rising SAF blends while private money funds production.
The passenger experience at the new airport may be the most interesting part for travellers. Griffiths predicted passports could be unnecessary within five years, with facial recognition replacing document checks entirely — no passport at the border, no boarding pass to flash. AI will handle baggage scanning, and the design philosophy is to hide the tech so the process feels human rather than clinical. He was blunt about why: airport security, in his view, is among the most intrusive experiences a person can have outside an operating theatre.
Why does this matter if you're not flying through Dubai? Because DWC's scale plus long-range narrow-body aircraft could mean direct long-haul options from your local regional airport within the decade — fewer connections, shorter surface journeys and, in theory, a far less grim airport experience. Watch this space if you live near a secondary airport that airlines have traditionally ignored.
