Get the terminal wrong at DXB and you lose time. Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 sit side by side and share the Metro line, but Terminal 2 is a separate building on the far side of the airfield, reached by road. A driver standing in the T3 hall for a flight that lands at T2 has to get back in the car and drive round before you meet.
If you only need a car waiting when you land, our Dubai Airport transfer page covers booking, cars and drive times to each district. The rest of this page is for working out which terminal you’ll land at and what that means once you’re through passport control.
A dated note first. In 2026, regional airspace constraints cut traffic at DXB, and Dubai Airports said almost 50 international airlines were flying there by the end of June (Dubai Airports, August 2026). As of 12 October 2026 the airport is open, but some carriers are suspended or running reduced schedules. The terminal split below comes from the Dubai Airports airline directory. A listing there is not a promise the airline is flying this month, so confirm with your airline.
Dubai airport terminals at a glance
| Terminal | Gates | Who flies from it | Metro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 | D gates, reached by airport train | Most foreign airlines. Over 100 are listed, among them Qatar Airways, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Saudia and IndiGo | Red Line station |
| Terminal 2 | F gates | Most flydubai flights, plus Air India Express, SalamAir, Iraqi Airways, Kish Air and other regional and charter airlines | None |
| Terminal 3 | A, B and C gates | Emirates, Qantas, United, Air Canada and some flydubai flights | Red Line station |
The gate letter is a quick check. A D gate on your boarding pass means Terminal 1. A, B or C means Terminal 3. F means Terminal 2.
Which terminal does Emirates use at Dubai airport?
Emirates uses Terminal 3 at Dubai International, for every flight. Qantas, United and Air Canada are listed at T3 as well. On a codeshare ticket the operating airline decides the terminal, so a flight sold under a partner’s number but flown by Emirates still lands at T3.
T3 is long. The B and C gates are connected on foot, and the A gates are a short ride away on the airport train. Dubai Airports runs a free TaxiDXB buggy inside Concourses B and C, which is worth knowing if someone in your group walks slowly or you’re pushing a pram a long way.
T3 Arrivals is also where you’ll find DXB Greet & Go, a meeting space where arriving guests meet hotels, tour operators and transport providers.
Which terminal does flydubai use in Dubai?
flydubai is the airline people most often get wrong. The Dubai Airports directory lists it at Terminal 2, Terminal 3 and Al Maktoum International (DWC), which is a different airport. Most flydubai flights use T2. Some use T3.
So check the flight, not the airline. Your booking usually shows the terminal, and the arrivals board on the Dubai Airports website shows it on the day. Then send us the flight number rather than just “flydubai”.
This may shift again. Dubai Airports’ chief executive Paul Griffiths said in September 2026 that flydubai could start moving five or six aircraft to DWC as early as 2027 (The National). Our DWC vs DXB guide covers what that move means for transfers.
Terminal 1: most international airlines
Terminal 1 handles the bulk of foreign carriers. The D gates are a separate concourse, linked to the main T1 building by a short airport train ride, so allow a few extra minutes between the aircraft door and passport control.
T1 has its own Metro station, taxi ranks, bus stands at Arrivals and two car parks. Car Park A is the premium one, a 2-3 minute walk from the terminal. Car Park B is cheaper and a 7-9 minute walk, which feels longer with two suitcases at 2 am.
Terminal 2: the separate one
Terminal 2 serves most flydubai flights plus regional and charter airlines, including Air India Express, SalamAir, Iraqi Airways, Kish Air, Ariana Afghan Airlines and Nepal Airlines. It uses the F gates.
It has no Metro station. It isn’t joined to T1 or T3, so moving between them means a drive. And its car parks are further out: Car Park A is a 3-5 minute walk and Car Park B 10-12 minutes, according to Dubai Airports.
If you land at T2 and planned to take the Metro, you’ll need a taxi or an RTA bus to reach a station first. Buses leave from stands at Arrivals and take a Nol card only.
How do the Dubai airport terminals connect?
It depends on which side of immigration you’re on. Airside means you’re still connecting to another flight. Landside means you’ve cleared passport control.
Airside, on one ticket, follow the transfer signs. Transfer desks issue the onward boarding pass, the airport train takes you to the D gates at T1 or the A gates at T3, and for any other terminal change Dubai Airports tells you to ask your airline or a Guest Experience Ambassador. On separate tickets it’s different: if you don’t need a visa, or already hold one, you clear passport control, collect your bags and check in again.
Landside, Terminals 1 and 3 are one stop apart on the Red Line, or a short drive. Terminal 2 is road only, so a T3 to T2 move means a taxi or a booked car.
The bigger jump is between airports. DWC is about 60 km from DXB by road. To connect, you clear passport control, collect your bags, then take a taxi, or the Metro to Ibn Battuta and a bus from there. With luggage and a deadline, most people book a car: our DXB to Al Maktoum airport transfer is a straight run with a fixed fare agreed in advance.
Metro access at the DXB terminals
The Red Line has stations at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, with ticket offices and vending machines inside both terminals. Per the Dubai Airports Metro page, trains run:
- Monday to Thursday and Saturday: 5 am to midnight
- Friday: 5 am to 1 am the next day
- Sunday: 8 am to midnight
Two details catch people out. You can take up to two pieces of luggage, and that count includes hand luggage. And Sunday service starts at 8 am, so a 6 am Sunday landing means no train for two hours.
Our view: the Metro is fine for one person with a cabin bag heading to Deira or along Sheikh Zayed Road. A family of four with six suitcases breaks the luggage rule before they reach the platform. That’s a van job, and our vans with a driver take the bags as well as the people.
Where pickups happen at each terminal
DXB has no pickup area at Arrivals. Dubai Airports says so plainly in its FAQ: anyone collecting a passenger uses the car park and meets them inside. Taxis wait at signed ranks at every terminal, run by Dubai Taxi 24 hours a day, and Uber, Careem and Bolt have signed pickup points.
Here’s how a pickup with us works at each terminal. The driver waits in the arrivals hall, after customs, holding a name board, then walks you to the car.
| Terminal | Where you meet the driver | Walk to the car park (Dubai Airports figures) |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 | Arrivals hall, after customs | Car Park A 2-3 min, Car Park B 7-9 min |
| Terminal 2 | Arrivals hall, after customs | Car Park A 3-5 min, Car Park B 10-12 min |
| Terminal 3 | Arrivals hall, after customs. DXB Greet & Go is also in T3 Arrivals | 2-3 min from all levels |
If a friend is collecting you instead, short-stay parking at T1 Car Park A and T3 starts at AED 5 for five minutes. DXB parking can be paid through Salik, the same account that pays road tolls; our Salik and Darb guide explains how the tags work.
Flying out rather than in? The drop-off area on the Departures level has a time limit. It’s for unloading bags and saying goodbye at the kerb, not for parking while you walk someone to check-in.
For the full walk from the aircraft door to the car, including smart gates, customs and SIM cards, read our Dubai airport arrivals guide.
How to tell your driver your terminal
- Send your flight number on WhatsApp when you book, not just the airline name. The flight number tells us the terminal and lets us track the landing time.
- Check the airport code on your ticket: DXB or DWC. Several airlines are listed at both, including flydubai, Gulf Air, Jazeera Airways and flynas, so the airline name alone doesn’t settle it.
- Confirm the terminal the day before on your booking or the Dubai Airports arrivals board. If the two disagree, tell us both.
- On a codeshare, give the operating airline’s flight number if you have it. That’s the one the airport boards use.
- If anything changes, such as a missed connection, a new flight or a diversion, send the new flight number. We track every airport pickup, and the driver moves with the flight.
Drivers wait up to 60 minutes free at the airport, so a slow passport queue or a late bag isn’t a problem. A wrong terminal can be, which is why step two matters. For waiting time and late arrivals, see our guide to flight delays and pickup waiting time. And if you’d like the driver to take your trolley and walk you through the hall, ask about our airport meet and greet service.
