Published: 2026-08-20
Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) will get the world’s largest airport automated people mover: a 50 km driverless network with 9 stations and 165 vehicles, built by a consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), MHI Mobility Engineering Services and India’s Larsen & Toubro (L&T). The contract was awarded by Dubai Aviation City Corporation (DACC) and announced on 2026-08-20. Completion is scheduled for December 2031, ahead of the planned opening of the new passenger terminal in 2032. At roughly 50 km, the system will be more than six times longer than today’s record holder, the 8 km Skylink at Dallas Fort Worth. For companies that trade, fly or employ people through Dubai, this is the clearest signal yet that the AED 128 billion DWC expansion, designed to eventually handle 260 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo a year, is moving from plans to contracts.
What was announced on 2026-08-20
MHI said in a statement that DACC, a Dubai government entity, has awarded the design-and-build contract for the automated people mover (APM) system of Phase 1 of Al Maktoum International to a three-company consortium. The announcement was carried the same day by Gulf News, and L&T filed a parallel disclosure in India describing the order as “large”, which in the company’s classification means between INR 2,500 crore and INR 5,000 crore, roughly USD 280 million to USD 560 million, or about AED 1 billion to AED 2 billion. Neither side has published the exact contract value.
| Parameter | DWC automated people mover |
|---|---|
| Network length | About 50 km |
| Stations | 9 |
| Vehicles | 165 driverless APM cars |
| Client | Dubai Aviation City Corporation, implemented via Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) |
| Contractor | MHI, MHI Mobility Engineering Services, Larsen & Toubro |
| Completion | December 2031 |
| Terminal opening | 2032 (Phase 1) |
| Ultimate airport capacity | 260 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of freight a year |
| Current record | Skylink, Dallas Fort Worth, about 8 km |
Inside the consortium, MHI and MHI-MESC lead the design, procurement and testing of the APM vehicles and the signalling system, plus overall system integration. L&T’s Transportation Infrastructure business is responsible for the guideways, DC traction substations, power distribution, telecommunications, onboard communication systems, platform screen doors and depot equipment, including on-site construction. The contract is turnkey: design, construction, supply, testing, commissioning and operational readiness are all inside one scope.
Why a 50 km train inside one airport
The new DWC is being built as a campus rather than a single building. Phase 1 alone covers a passenger terminal roughly 70 square kilometres in footprint, with 400 aircraft gates and five parallel runways planned for the completed airport. At that scale, walking distances and bus transfers would break the passenger experience, so the people mover becomes the airport’s internal metro, linking terminals, concourses and major facilities. MHI says the system is designed to shorten transfer times, improve convenience and keep operations efficient as traffic grows towards the 260 million passenger target.
MHI is a familiar name in Dubai transport. The company was part of the consortium that built the Dubai Metro, opened in 2009 and extended in 2011, which is also fully automated and driverless. Its Crystal Mover APM vehicles already run at airports including Singapore Changi, Hong Kong, Washington Dulles, Miami and Orlando. L&T, for its part, is executing integrated rail systems for the Mumbai Metro, Dhaka Metro and Jakarta MRT, and the DWC contract strengthens its position in the GCC transport market.
Where the APM fits in Dubai’s wider airport rail plan
The people mover operates only within the DWC campus. It is separate from the external rail projects that will connect the new airport with the rest of the city, and the two layers are being procured in parallel:
- Airport Express Line. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is progressing a roughly 55 km express rail link between Dubai International (DXB) in Garhoud and DWC via Al Jaddaf and Al Khail Road, with a station at Jumeirah Village Circle and spur lines towards Emirates Golf Club and Business Bay. MEED reported in August 2026 that six groups had submitted proposals to study and design the line.
- Dubai Metro Gold Line. A planned new metro line described by Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths as particularly important for daily commuting between population centres and DWC.
- Etihad Rail high-speed service. The planned Abu Dhabi to Dubai high-speed railway, which is expected to serve the new airport as part of the national network.
Griffiths has said the airport’s second phase will be designed around the latest technology and that some technical decisions will deliberately be taken “quite late in the day” so that the newest systems can be adopted. The APM award is the first major fixed-infrastructure contract that makes the future passenger journey inside DWC concrete.
What it means for business in the UAE
An airport contract that completes in 2031 may look distant, but the commercial effects start now. The DWC expansion was approved in April 2024 at a cost of AED 128 billion, and 2026 is the year the major packages are being awarded. For companies already in the UAE or planning to enter, four consequences matter:
- Supply chain and subcontracting. A turnkey APM system needs local civil works, precast, MEP, logistics, testing and maintenance contractors. MHI and L&T will build supplier networks in Dubai over the next five years, and a UAE-licensed entity is the practical entry ticket to those tenders.
- Dubai South as a location. DWC sits inside Dubai South, next to Jebel Ali Port and the Expo City district. Logistics, aviation services, e-commerce fulfilment and light industrial companies that set up in the Dubai South free zone or in nearby JAFZA position themselves at the centre of the future hub.
- Talent and visas. Large transport programmes bring engineers, project managers and technicians on multi-year assignments. Employers need a UAE company to sponsor work visas and residency, and specialists with long-term contracts may qualify for 10-year golden visas.
- Banking and cash flow. Contractors and suppliers working on government-linked projects need a UAE corporate bank account to receive payments, issue guarantees and handle VAT. Opening one takes longer for new entities than most founders expect, so it should start as soon as the company is registered.
The wider context is Dubai’s transport build-out: the 30 km Blue Line metro under construction for 2029, the Al Marabea Street and Emirates Road upgrades, and the aviation sector’s plan to move operations from DXB to DWC over the coming decade. Each of these programmes converts into procurement, leasing and hiring long before the ribbon is cut.
How Atlant Capital can help
Atlant Capital supports foreign companies entering the Dubai market around major infrastructure programmes. We handle company setup in Dubai South, JAFZA, Meydan and other free zones or on the mainland, choose the licence activities that match contracting, engineering and logistics work, open corporate bank accounts, and arrange residence visas for project staff. If your company plans to bid for or supply DWC-related work, we can map the licence, bank and visa route in a single consultation. For a wider view of the aviation cluster, see our recent analysis of Dubai free zone occupancy in H1 2026.
Conclusion
The award of a 50 km, 165-vehicle, 9-station automated people mover to MHI and L&T, with completion due in December 2031, turns the DWC expansion from a rendering into a construction schedule. For passengers it means an internal metro instead of long walks and buses when the new terminal opens in 2032. For businesses it means five years of procurement, leasing and hiring concentrated in Dubai South, and a reminder that the UAE’s AED 128 billion airport programme is proceeding on time.
FAQ
What is the new people mover at Al Maktoum International Airport?
It is a 50 km automated people mover (APM) network with 9 stations and 165 driverless vehicles that will connect the terminals and main facilities inside Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC). Mitsubishi Heavy Industries says it will be the world’s largest airport APM system, more than six times longer than the 8 km Skylink at Dallas Fort Worth.
Who is building the DWC automated people mover and when will it be ready?
Dubai Aviation City Corporation awarded the design-and-build contract on 2026-08-20 to a consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, MHI Mobility Engineering Services and Larsen & Toubro. Completion is scheduled for December 2031, ahead of the planned opening of the new passenger terminal in 2032.
How much is the DWC people mover contract worth?
The exact value has not been disclosed. Larsen & Toubro classified its share as a “large” order, which in the company’s system means INR 2,500 crore to INR 5,000 crore, roughly USD 280 million to USD 560 million, or about AED 1 billion to AED 2 billion.
How will passengers get to Al Maktoum International from Dubai?
The people mover runs only inside the airport. External access is planned through the RTA’s roughly 55 km Airport Express Line between DXB and DWC, the future Dubai Metro Gold Line and the Etihad Rail high-speed service, all of which are at study or planning stage in 2026.
