Dubai Airport has 3 terminals. The buildings designated as Terminal 1 and 3 are interconnected and located on one side of the airport, while Terminal 2 is on the other side with Terminals T1 and T3 not connected.
You can check which terminal your airline departs from on the airport's website dubaiairports.ae/flight-status.
Terminal 1
This terminal has two buildings. The main section with check-in counters and arrivals hall with baggage belts is in a separate building from the departure gates and aircraft.
There is a free automatic train running every 2-3 minutes between the terminal and the departure gates, where other services such as restaurants and lounges are also available. The journey takes about 4-5 minutes.
The departure gates of Terminal 1 are marked with the letter D.
Terminal 1 is used by most foreign airlines flying to Dubai except those listed for Terminals 2 and 3.
Terminal 2
Terminal 2 is the only one on the other side of the airport and is over 2 km as the crow flies from Terminals 1 and 3.
The building is the smallest of all the terminals and has no boarding bridges. So you will always take a bus to the planes.
The departure gates of Terminal 2 are marked with the letter F.
Terminal 2 is used by the following airlines:
- Air India Express, Ariana Afghan, FitsAir, Flydubai (some flights), Iraqi Airways, Myanmar International Airlines, Qeshm Airlines, Rwandair, Salam Air, Turkmenistan Airlines, Wizz Air
Terminal 3
Dubai Airport's largest terminal has a main check-in and arrivals building, from which a wide corridor with moving walkways leads through security and passport control to the departure gates.
A long terminal full of restaurants, shops and services hosts departure gates B and C. An automated train running every 3-4 minutes then takes you to departure gate A.
Terminal 3 is used by the following airlines:
- Emirates, Flydubai (some flights), Qantas
Transfer between flights
In the vast majority of cases, you will only be connecting between Emirates flights, so you will be moving within a single Terminal 3.
A transfer length of at least 60 minutes is recommended for a guaranteed connection. In general, even 2 hours is not a bad thing at an airport this large. However, if you have purchased a transfer as part of a single booking, any transfer time shown on the ticket will suffice.
You always go through security when transferring, but you do not go through passport control.
Transfer within Terminal 3
Over 95% of all connecting flights take place within this terminal only, which is shared by Emirates, Qantas and some Flydubai flights.
All arrivals will be directed to the central "Flight Connections" concourse where you will go through security and use the board to find your departure gate.
- Departure gates B, C - are in the main building and the furthest gates can be reached within 20 minutes
- Departure gates A - you have to use the free automatic train which runs about once every 3-4 minutes and its journey time is less than 5 minutes
Transferring within terminal 3 is straightforward and easy, even though the airport is large.
- Buy a connecting ticket in Dubai at emirates.com
Transfer within Terminal 2
This is where you'll transfer between some Flydubai flights.
You'll always be taken from the plane to a lounge with luggage belts, but you don't collect these when you're guaranteed to change planes and head straight left to security through which you'll pass to the departure gates.
Transfer between terminals 2 and 3
As Flydubai flights are split between the two terminals, you will often have to transfer between these buildings when travelling with the airline.
Look out for the "Connections" signs in both terminals, which will direct you to each terminal.
Free shuttle buses run between Terminals 2 and 3 on the tarmac approximately every 5-10 minutes. This way you don't have to leave the transit area when you transfer, unless you need to pick up your luggage.
The minimum transfer time between terminals is 120 minutes.
Baggage transfer in Dubai
If you buy connecting flights as part of one booking (ticket), then you do not need to worry about luggage on connecting flights. They will be transferred automatically from one plane to the other.
The exception to this may be long layovers of over 12 hours, where you may have to collect and re-check your luggage.
For longer connections
For very long layovers, 8 hours or more, feel free to take a short tour of Dubai. The metro runs from the airport directly to the Dubai Mall and the world's largest skyscraper , the Burj Khalifa. The journey takes about 45 minutes. Alternatively, a taxi will take you to both the mall and Jumeirah Beach for 30-40 dirhams.
Airport map
An interactive map of all terminals showing security and passport control, shops, restaurants and all departure gates is available at this link dubaiairports.ae/vg-map.