Arrival
From DWC to your hotel, home or office, with your flight tracked and the wait running from the flight’s actual arrival time.
Dubai · DWC · Dubai World Central
Al Maktoum airport transfer DWC, pre-booked.
Private transfers at Al Maktoum International (DWC) in Jebel Ali, with a named chauffeur, your flight tracked and a full quote before you pay.
Nothing is charged until you accept the quote.
Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) Dubai International Airport (DXB)
At a glance
What you get with a DWC transfer
Al Maktoum International (DWC) sits at Jebel Ali, about 37 kilometres south-west of central Dubai, a different journey from Dubai International. Universal Airport Transfer books it ahead with a named chauffeur and your flight tracked, quoted in full before you pay.
- About 37 kilometres south-west of central Dubai, at Jebel Ali in Dubai South.
- Closer to the Marina and Jebel Ali end of the city than Dubai International is, and considerably further from Deira and the creek.
- Your chauffeur waits 30 minutes from your flight’s actual arrival time.
- A full quote before you pay, usually within two hours, with any late-night, public holiday or short-notice charges in it.
- Pay online by secure payment link or bank transfer. If your route passes a Salik gate, the toll is either included in the quote or shown in it as an extra; waiting beyond the included time may carry a charge.
- Changes and cancellations up to 48 hours before your flight under the standard policy, less any costs already incurred; a few airports and services differ.
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DXB or DWC: check the code on your ticket, and what is changing at Al Maktoum
Look for the three-letter code beside Dubai on your e-ticket receipt, itinerary or boarding pass. DXB is Dubai International, near Deira and the creek; DWC is Al Maktoum International, also called Dubai World Central, at Jebel Ali. Where a booking site gives the city name alone, open the flight details or ask the airline which airport it means. Then book the transfer for that code: the two airports sit at opposite ends of Dubai, so a pickup booked at the wrong one becomes a separate journey across the city.
| When | What was announced or expected | Who said it |
|---|---|---|
| April 2024 | Designs approved for a new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum. Dubai International’s passenger flights are to move there in phases; Dubai Airports’ chief executive said DXB would quite probably close once the move is complete. | The Government of Dubai, and Dubai Airports’ chief executive, as reported by The National |
| June 2026 | Work on the expansion reported to be on its approved timeline, with the first phase scheduled to open in 2032. | The Government of Dubai and Dubai Airports, as reported by Gulf News |
| September 2026 | A second runway at Al Maktoum expected to open by the end of 2027. | Dubai Airports’ chief executive, as reported by Gulf News |
| September 2026 | flydubai expected to be the first airline to move part of its operation, probably from 2027. Gulf News reported that no airline move had been confirmed. | Dubai Airports’ chief executive at the same briefing, as reported by Gulf News |
Last checked 23 September 2026. Every target year above is a plan or an expectation, not a timetable, and each airline announces its own move. Until yours tells you otherwise, the code on your ticket is the airport you will use.
Price
What your quote depends on
Every journey is quoted on its own rather than sold from a price list, so the figure you receive is for your booking. These are the things that move it. Nothing is charged until you accept the quote. Tolls, where they apply, are either included in it or shown in it as an additional charge, and heavy traffic does not change the quoted price.
The distance to your address
DWC is about 37 km south-west of central Dubai, so where you are going matters more here than at DXB.
Which end of the city
Jebel Ali and the Marina are close by. Deira and the creek are a long way across town.
The hour you land
Late-night, public holiday and short-notice arrivals can carry a charge, named in the quote.
Passengers and bags
Three classes of service, with the vehicle chosen from the group you tell us about.
When you land
Landing at Al Maktoum
One passenger terminal, a long drive to most of the city, and a much larger airport under construction around it. This is how an arrival works today.
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01
Before you land
Your flight is tracked. A chauffeur is assigned to your booking and timed to your flight’s actual arrival, so a delayed flight moves the pickup with it.
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02
Passport control
Dubai Airports lists Smart Gates at DWC for UAE and GCC nationals, UAE residents and visa-on-arrival visitors with biometric passports. Families with children and travellers with large pushchairs cannot use them, and visa rules can change, so check the official UAE pages before you fly.
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03
Baggage and customs
Your 30 minutes of waiting runs from the flight’s actual arrival time. If you are held up, message the booking desk: it answers 24 hours a day, and your chauffeur is told.
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04
Meeting your chauffeur
You are given your chauffeur’s name before pickup, and the booking desk tells you where to meet. If you have not reached the meeting point within the waiting time and cannot be contacted, the booking is treated as a no-show, so keep your phone on and reachable from the moment you land.
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05
The drive in
Central Dubai is about 37 kilometres away in a straight line, and the drive is longer, most of all to Deira and the creek at the far end of the city. The quote is worked out on the distance to your address.
How DWC differs from Dubai International
Between DWC and DXB
Dubai Airports’ advice for anyone going from one airport to the other is to clear passport control, collect their bags and arrange onward transport. Allow for the whole drive across the city on top of that.
Airlines and routes
The carriers using DWC change over time. The airport code on your ticket is the reliable check, and Dubai Airports publishes the day’s DWC arrivals and departures on its own website.
Cargo first, then passengers
Al Maktoum opened in June 2010 with cargo flights only, and scheduled passenger flights began in October 2013. The expansion plans, with their dates, are in the DXB or DWC section above.
If your airline moves your flight from one Dubai airport to the other, tell the booking desk as soon as you know. Under the standard policy, changes are accepted up to 48 hours before your flight; a few airports and services differ.
DWC
Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC)
Al Maktoum International, still widely called Dubai World Central, is Dubai’s second airport and the centrepiece of the Dubai South development. It is a different journey from Dubai International in every way that matters to a transfer: a different side of the city, different roads, and a longer drive to most addresses.
Terminals One passenger terminal. Send your flight and it goes in the quote
Get a DWC quoteDXB
Dubai International Airport (DXB)
The two Dubai airports are on opposite sides of the city, so moving between them is a full journey, booked as an airport-to-airport transfer.
More about transfers at Dubai International Airport
Get a DXB quoteServices
Journeys to and from Al Maktoum
Departure
From your address to Al Maktoum, booked ahead with a named chauffeur.
DWC to Dubai International
Between the two airports, on opposite sides of the city, booked as one airport-to-airport journey.
DWC to Abu Dhabi
Al Maktoum sits on the Abu Dhabi side of Dubai, so the run south starts shorter than it would from DXB.
Hourly chauffeur
A car and chauffeur for a block of hours, starting or ending at the airport.
How it works
How to book an Al Maktoum transfer
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Send a request
Your flight, pickup and drop-off, passengers and bags, using the form below.
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Receive a full quote
Usually within two hours, with any late-night, public holiday or short-notice charges shown. Nothing is charged until you accept it.
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Pay online
By secure payment link or bank transfer. Card details never reach this website.
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Booking confirmed
Confirmed once paid, and the booking desk shares your voucher.
Questions
Al Maktoum (DWC) transfer questions
Where is Al Maktoum International Airport?
At Jebel Ali, roughly 37 kilometres south-west of central Dubai, at the centre of the Dubai South development. It is the opposite end of the city from Dubai International.
Is DWC the same as Dubai World Central?
Yes. Al Maktoum International is the airport’s name and DWC is its code; Dubai World Central is the development it sits in, and the two names are used interchangeably for the airport.
My ticket just says Dubai. Which airport am I flying into?
The three-letter code decides it: DXB is Dubai International and DWC is Al Maktoum International. The code sits beside the city name on the e-ticket receipt, the itinerary and the boarding pass, and if all you can see is “Dubai”, the airline can tell you which airport it means. SHJ is different again: Sharjah International, in the neighbouring emirate of Sharjah.
Which airlines fly to Al Maktoum?
Airlines and routes at DWC change, so check the airport code on your ticket rather than a list. For the day’s flights, Dubai Airports publishes DWC arrivals and departures on its website, and your airline can confirm which airport your flight uses.
Is flydubai moving to Al Maktoum?
Probably, in part, though no move had been confirmed as of September 2026. That month, Dubai Airports’ chief executive said flydubai would probably be the first airline to move part of its operation to DWC, probably starting in 2027. Go by the airport on your own ticket, and if the airline changes it, tell the booking desk.
How do I get from Al Maktoum to Dubai International?
By road, across the city, once you have cleared passport control and collected your bags at DWC. Send both flight numbers and we book it as one airport-to-airport transfer, quoted like any other. Dubai Airports also lists a taxi, or the metro with a bus connection.
Should I take a taxi or book a transfer at DWC?
Either can make sense. Official taxis run from the rank at DWC around the clock, and buses link the airport with the metro at Expo and Ibn Battuta stations, which suits a light traveller. A pre-booked chauffeur suits you if you want a full quote before you fly, your flight tracked, a child seat fitted before you arrive, or one vehicle for a group and its bags.
How early should I be at Al Maktoum for a departure?
Dubai Airports advises arriving at least three hours before your flight, and says check-in counters open about three hours before departure; your airline sets the exact times. A departure pickup is timed backwards from your check-in cut-off, with traffic and the terminal drop-off built in.
Waiting time, changes, cancellations and refunds are set out in full in our Terms & Conditions.
Request a transfer
Tell us the flight. We hold the car.
Under five minutes to complete. We come back with a full quote, usually within two hours. Nothing is charged until you accept the quote.