Airline Tickets to Dubai

First few hours in Dubai usually become a really shocking experience for most people coming to the city for the first time. They simply cannot believe all they see could be done. Yet this is no mirage – the ultra-modern and aspiring Dubai does not know the word 'impossible'. The desert has been defeated – the heat of the sands is no more an obstacle for organizing all kinds of high-level entertainment facilities, including huge golf-courses with fresh green grass and ski slopes with real snow.

Dubai has given up its role of the West's 'younger brother' – its present state is a brilliant example of what an Arabic emirate can transform itself into and its dynamic growth is often regarded by observers as the obvious future of big cities all over the world.

Hard to imagine, but not more than a century ago wild winds were bowing and Bedouins were moving slowly across the endless sands where now highly-technological glass-and-concrete skyscrapers, huge trade centers and entertainment facilities of Dubai reside. Yet even by the end of WWI Dubai had almost no infrastructure at all and camel was nearly the only and for sure the most convenient means of transportation.

One of the key factors that determined the history of the city was its successful geographical position on the old trade route connecting Indus Valley and Mesopotamia. Dubai grew up as a village on that route residing by the mouth of Dubai Creek. Most people of Dubai at that time belonged to the Bani Yas tribe headed by the Maktoum dynasty which is still holding control over most of the city.

The 1960s are regarded as the beginning of the modern history of the city – the British colonial governing was gone and since oil was found in 1966 there was no return to the poverty of the past for Dubai. Since that time the population has increased dramatically and now comes to 1.5 mln. Thousands and thousands of tourists and temporary workers being the main driving force of economy stay in the numerous hotels of Dubai.

Read further about Dubai in our City Guide ...

Airport Address: Department of Civil Aviation, Dubai International Airport, PO Box 2525, Dubai, UAE
Distance and Location: The airport is located 4km (2.5 miles) southeast of Dubai
Airport Website: www.dubaiairport.com
Airport E-mail: Via the airport's website
Airport Telephone: (0)4 216 2525 or 216 6333
Country Code: 971
Time Zone: GMT + 4
Total Number of Terminals: 2
Moving between Terminals: Transfer between the terminals takes about 10 minutes using the airport shuttle service. The Terminal 1 Departures concourse (Sheikh Rashid Terminal) is linked to Terminal 1 via a tunnel with travelators. Terminal 2 is used exclusively for business and charter flights.