Thursday will be the busiest day (plus, there are roadworks happening near the airport)…

Emirates airlines has put out a PSA to people travelling via Dubai airport this weekend to leave home early to avoid missing their flight.

Why? Well, more than 113,000 passengers are expected to pass through Emirates’ Terminal 3 alone from Wednesday November 29 to Sunday December 3. Thursday November 30 will be the busiest day, with an anticipated 35,000 passengers going to Emirates’ Terminal 3 departures on that day alone.

Remember, there are still roadworks happening near the airport at the moment too, so this is likely to lead to traffic jams at peak times (which can sometimes be in the middle of the night near DXB), so keep an eye on Google maps or Waze for traffic updates and give yourself plenty of time to get there.

The Dhs490 million roadworks project currently happening around the airport is all about ensuring traffic flows smoothly as the airport gets busier and busier (particularly around 2020), but it means some diversions are currently in place. It involves the construction of bridges, a service road and tunnels, which all aim to improve safety and speed up waiting times.

Emirates is asking people travelling this weekend to check in no later than 90 minutes before departure to ensure they can get through the airport in time. Those who check in less than 60 minutes before a flight’s departure time will not be accepted for travel. Remember, you can check in online (on both desktop or mobile) from 48 hours to 90 minutes before your flight time. You can then drop your bags at one of the 46 dedicated Emirates bag drop counters when you arrive at the airport (still give it 90 minutes this weekend though if doing that).

There are also car park check-in facilities with 16 counters where you can check in and drop off your luggage from 24 hours to six hours prior to departure (if you want to get it out of the way so that you can cruise to the airport before your flight with just your hand luggage – maybe on the metro?). There are also 20 special family check in areas in Area 2 of Terminal 3.

Then, once you’re checked in, also make sure to get to the boarding gate on time – boarding starts 45 minutes before each flight, and gates close 20 minutes before departure. 

Emirates warns that check-in and gate closure times will be strictly followed over the extra-busy weekend to ensure everyone gets to their holiday destinations without delay. 

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