Dubai Airport Terminals: Which One Your Airline Uses and How to Get There

The short answer: Dubai International Airport (DXB) has three terminals. Emirates flies only from Terminal 3, and most other international airlines not based in the UAE – Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Air India, IndiGo, Saudia, Gulf Air, Oman Air, Kuwait Airways and more – fly from Terminal 1. flydubai splits across Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 depending on the route, and Air India Express flies from Terminal 2. The Dubai Metro Red Line reaches Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 directly; Terminal 2 has no station of its own, so it is a bus or taxi ride from the nearest stop. Etihad does not fly into Dubai at all – its home is Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport.

Most people searching for this are checking one thing before they leave the house: which building their flight leaves from, and how to get there without wasting time. This guide works through all three terminals by airline, the Metro stations and bus routes that serve each one, what to do if you need to move between terminals, check-in and bag-drop windows, Emirates' city and home check-in, Smart Gates, lounges, left-luggage counters, and the longer-term plan to shift flights to Dubai's second airport.

Dubai Airport terminals at a glance

Question	Answer (October 2026)
Emirates	Terminal 3 only, across Concourses A, B and C
flydubai	Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, depending on the route
Most other international airlines	Terminal 1
Air India Express	Terminal 2; full-service Air India and IndiGo are Terminal 1
Etihad	Does not fly to Dubai; flies from Abu Dhabi instead
Metro stations	Airport Terminal 1 and Airport Terminal 3 (Red Line); no station at Terminal 2
Smart Gates (e-gates)	Free for UAE/GCC nationals, UAE residents, visa-on-arrival guests and returning tourists with a biometric passport
Baggage storage	AED 35–50 for 12 hours or less, 24/7 at all three terminals
Marhaba lounge	From about AED 195 for two hours, more for six hours or a shower
Dubai's second airport	Dubai World Central (DWC); operations are due to move there, with completion targeted for 2034

Which terminal does your airline use

Dubai Airports publishes its own airline-by-terminal directory, which we checked on 9 October 2026. It is the most reliable list available, since terminal assignments move and third-party guides often lag behind. Here is where the airlines UAE residents fly most often currently stand:

Airline	Terminal
Emirates	3
flydubai	2 and 3 (route-dependent)
Air India	1
Air India Express	2
IndiGo	1
Pakistan International Airlines	1
Airblue	1
SriLankan Airlines	1
Biman Bangladesh Airlines	1
Philippine Airlines	1
Cebu Pacific	1
Saudia	1
Qatar Airways	1
Gulf Air	1
Oman Air	1
Kuwait Airways	1
Turkish Airlines	1
Etihad Airways	Does not fly to DXB – flies from Abu Dhabi

flydubai is the one carrier worth double-checking every time. Dubai Airports lists it under Terminal 2, Terminal 3 and Dubai World Central (DWC) all at once, and which applies depends on the route: some European and Southeast Asian flights currently leave from Terminal 3, while most regional routes still use Terminal 2. The terminal printed on your booking confirmation, or flydubai's own flight-status page, is the one to trust, not a general rule.

Terminal 1: Concourse D

Terminal 1 is DXB's main building for international airlines that are not based in the UAE – Dubai Airports' own figures put the count at more than 50 carriers. It connects to Concourse D by an automated people mover, and between them the two buildings handle departures through 42 check-in counters in rows 1 to 4, 21 more in row 5 and 20 in Area 6, plus self-service kiosks. Immigration has 26 departure counters and 10 Smart Gates; arrivals get 45 counters and 20 Smart Gates. There is a Marhaba lounge, a food court, several retail areas and a prayer room. Dubai Airports gives the terminal's capacity as more than 20 million passengers a year, and it is currently going through a phased refurbishment covering the drop-off areas, the arrivals hall and the check-in and departure areas.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 opened in 1998 to take pressure off Terminal 1, and it has been flydubai's home since 2009. Around 21 airlines fly from here in total, mostly regional and budget services to South Asia, Central Asia and the wider region, including Air India Express. The terminal has no jet bridges on most of its 12 gates (F1 to F12); buses carry passengers across the apron to the aircraft instead. Facilities include 52 check-in counters, 14 immigration counters with 8 Smart Gates, a Marhaba lounge, a Business Class lounge, a food court and about 1,400 square metres of retail, including Dubai Duty Free. Capacity is listed at more than 12 million passengers a year.

Terminal 3: Concourses A, B and C

Terminal 3 is Emirates' home, split into three linked concourses.

• Concourse B (opened 2008): gates B1 to B32, the main hub for most other Emirates flights, largely its A350 and 777 services.
• Concourse A (opened 2013): gates A1 to A24, built with the Airbus A380 in mind, so most A380 departures leave from here. Its First and Business lounges sit on their own floors with direct access to the boarding gates.
• Concourse C (opened 2016): gates C1 to C50, extra Emirates capacity plus select flydubai flights.

A shuttle train links Concourses A and B; a pedestrian walkway connects B and C. Some flydubai flights use Terminal 3 too. Dubai Airports' figures for the whole Terminal 3 complex run to roughly 8,000 bags an hour of baggage handling, 100 economy and 52 First and Business check-in counters, 35 economy and 10 First/Business immigration counters with 15 and 10 Smart Gates respectively for departures, and 72 counters with 40 Smart Gates for arrivals.

Getting to the right terminal

The Dubai Metro Red Line serves two of the three terminals directly. Airport Terminal 1 station sits on site near Car Park B; Airport Terminal 3 station sits directly beneath the terminal building, reached by a covered walkway, with ticket gates and Nol top-up machines on its mezzanine level. Both stations are in fare zone 5.

Terminal 2 has no Metro station. From the Red Line, the shortest way in is an RTA bus from Al Garhoud station (roughly 12 minutes) or from ADCB station on route C26 (roughly 26 minutes), or a taxi from Terminal 1 or Terminal 3, a journey of a few minutes at a metered fare of about AED 19–23. All three terminals also have their own kerbside taxi and ride-hailing pick-up points.

Moving between terminals

If you are transferring onto a connecting flight without leaving the secure area, Dubai Airports runs a 24-hour airside shuttle bus linking all three terminals, and Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 are also joined by a 15–20 minute airside walk with travelators and moving walkways. If your connection involves Terminal 2, ask at the transfer desk before you clear immigration.

If you have already cleared immigration – dropping someone off, picking someone up, or needing to check in for a different flight at a different terminal – Terminal 2 has no airside link to the other two. Your options are the Metro (between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 only), a taxi, or an RTA bus. Build in at least 45–60 minutes for the move, more at peak times.

Check-in and bag-drop times

Each airline sets its own cut-off, and they are not identical. As a general pattern, online check-in opens 24 to 48 hours before departure on most airlines' apps and websites. At the airport, flydubai's own check-in page states that its counters open three hours before departure and close an hour before it, with boarding starting 45 minutes out and the gate closing 20 minutes before departure. Treat this as indicative rather than universal: confirm the figure for your own flight with your airline, since Dubai Airports does not set it. As a baseline, plan to be at the airport at least three hours before an international departure, and earlier still over Eid, the summer peak and other busy periods.

Emirates city and home check-in

Emirates runs its City Check-in and Travel Store at ICD Brookfield Place in DIFC, open from 8am to 10pm daily. Bag drop is accepted from 24 hours down to four hours before departure, through a staffed desk, a self-service kiosk, or Sara, Emirates' check-in robot, which matches a scanned passport to your face and directs you to the luggage drop. A second city check-in counter operates at Ajman Central Bus Terminal, open 24 hours, for check-in between 24 and 4 hours before departure.

Home check-in sends an Emirates agent to a home, hotel or office in Dubai or Sharjah to check in everyone travelling, print boarding passes and bag tags, and take the luggage ahead; it has to be booked at least a day before departure. It is free for First Class passengers and Platinum Skywards members; ask Emirates for the current price if you fall outside either group, since reported figures vary. flydubai and the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 airlines do not currently run an equivalent city check-in service in Dubai.

Smart Gates: who can skip the immigration queue

Dubai Airports' own page on Smart Gates states that UAE and GCC nationals, UAE residents, visa-on-arrival guests and returning tourists travelling on a biometric passport can use the gates, crossing passport control in a few seconds by looking at a camera, without presenting a document, once registered. Registration happens automatically the first time you pass through a staffed passport-control counter on arrival at DXB or DWC. People of Determination, guests with large strollers, families travelling with children, and anyone under 1.2 metres tall are not eligible and should use a staffed counter instead. A Smart Gates PreCheck tool, reached through the Pocket Flights platform or by scanning QR codes placed around the terminals and boarding gates, lets you check your own eligibility before you travel, and needs no app download.

Lounges, including Marhaba

Marhaba, the airport's own lounge operator, runs paid lounges in Terminal 1's Concourse D, open to any airline or class of travel; in Terminal 2, airside opposite gates F3 and F4, open 24 hours; and two in Terminal 3 – one in Concourse A near gates A2 and A3, and one in Concourse B near gate B21 – both aimed mainly at Emirates passengers, though the connected concourses can reach them too. Walk-in rates run from roughly AED 195 for two hours to around AED 580 for six hours, with a shower costing extra; booking a pass online in advance tends to be cheaper and guarantees a seat when a lounge is busy. Emirates also runs its own invitation lounges for First and Business passengers across all three Terminal 3 concourses, separate from Marhaba.

Baggage storage

Dubai Airports runs short-term baggage storage 24 hours a day at all three terminals. A standard bag costs AED 40 for 12 hours or less at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, rising to AED 50 for an oversized or valuable bag; the same service at Terminal 3 costs AED 35 and AED 40 respectively. The Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 counters are run by dnata Baggage Services on the arrivals level, near Boots Pharmacy and Etisalat; the Terminal 3 counter is Emirates Left Luggage, on the arrivals level near Exit 1, behind Boots Pharmacy.

Dubai World Central and the move that is still years away

Dubai's longer-term plan is to shift all airport operations from DXB to Al Maktoum International, known as Dubai World Central (DWC), in Jebel Ali, where a far larger terminal is under construction. Dubai Airports' chief executive has put the completion date at 2034, and Emirates' chairman has described the airline's own move there as a single switch rather than a gradual one, also aimed at that year. The timeline has slipped before and may slip again, and nothing changes for anyone flying from DXB today: cargo and budget operations are expected to move first. Dubai Airports' own directory already lists some flydubai and other flights under DWC, so if you are booked on a smaller or charter airline, check which of Dubai's two airports your ticket actually names before you set out.

Frequently asked questions

Which terminal does Emirates use at Dubai Airport?

Emirates flies only from Terminal 3, across all three of its concourses – A, B and C. Some flydubai flights use Terminal 3 as well.

Which terminal does flydubai use?

Both Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, depending on the route. Dubai Airports' own airline directory lists flydubai under Terminal 2, Terminal 3 and Dubai World Central at once, so check the terminal on your booking confirmation or flydubai's flight-status page rather than assuming.

Which terminal do Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo use?

Air India and IndiGo fly from Terminal 1. Air India Express, the group's low-cost arm, flies from Terminal 2.

How do I get to Dubai Airport Terminal 2 if there is no Metro station there?

Take the Red Line to Al Garhoud or ADCB station and continue by RTA bus, about 12 to 26 minutes depending on the stop, or take a taxi from Terminal 1 or Terminal 3, a journey of a few minutes.

Can I check in before I get to Dubai Airport?

Online check-in is open 24 to 48 hours before most flights. Emirates passengers can also check in and drop bags in the city, at ICD Brookfield Place in DIFC or at Ajman Central Bus Terminal, or book a home check-in in Dubai or Sharjah.

Who can use Dubai Airport's Smart Gates?

UAE and GCC nationals, UAE residents, visa-on-arrival guests and returning tourists with a biometric passport, once registered on arrival. People of Determination, guests with large strollers, families with young children and anyone under 1.2 metres tall use a staffed counter instead.

Before you fly

We do not handle check-in, so once you know your terminal, your airline's app and dubaiairports.ae will have your gate, your Smart Gates eligibility and your exact check-in window. Where we can help is everything around the trip: a UAE visit visa extension or visa change before you travel, see UAE visa services; a visa for one of the 57 countries we handle, see visa services; or if this flight is the start of a holiday, see our holiday packages. Message us on WhatsApp +971 4 589 0001 or use our contact page, or visit us at Shop #35, Wilson Building, 2nd December Street, Al Jaffliya, Dubai.

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Last checked 9 October 2026 against Dubai Airports' (dubaiairports.ae) airline directory, Smart Gates and baggage pages, flydubai's check-in page, Emirates' city and home check-in pages, Marhaba's lounge listings, and third-party Dubai Metro station records for Airport Terminal 1 and Airport Terminal 3. Terminal assignments, fares and opening hours change; confirm your terminal and timings with your airline or Dubai Airports before you travel.