Dubai's $82 billion aerospace gamble
 
Center of gravity shifts east
Airlines in the West may be struggling, but turbulent industry conditions have left the Persian Gulf emirate of Dubai undaunted in its bid to become a top global aerospace player and the word’s busiest airport hub.
• World's largest airport continues Dubai tradition of thinking very big
 
More than just an airport
At 140 square kilometers (54 square miles), the land set aside 30 years ago for a visionary $33 billion urban aviation project is almost twice the size of the island of Hong Kong. The heart of this new city, known as Dubai World Central, will be the Al Maktoum International airport. Upon completion, it will be the world’s largest airport, handling more than 120 million passengers a year.
 
DUBAI AEROSPACE ENTERPRISE
New kid on the runway
Launched in 2006 with $15 billion in government capital, DAE is a holding company with autonomous leasing, airports, services, engineering, manufacturing and education divisions. 
 
A visitor's view
Once a staging post and pearl-diving port along ancient Middle Eastern trading routes, Dubai has reinvented itself as a tourism destination.
SLIDESHOW
Dubai's lofty goals
Views of Dubai and its plans for Dubai World Central, the emirate’s visionary $33 billion urban aviation project. 
 
EMIRATES AIR
Undaunted by oil
Despite record-high oil prices, the world’s fastest-growing airline has no plans to slow down its expansion, says Maurice Flanagan, the founding CEO and vice chairman of Emirates Air.
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