Dubai is taking inclusivity sky-high. This week, Dubai Airports unveiled the next phase of its accessibility strategy, an ambitious 10-year roadmap to make both Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) the world’s most accessible airports by 2035.
At its core, the strategy is about more than infrastructure. It’s about empathy, innovation, and creating an airport experience where every traveller feels seen, supported, and valued.
“Our commitment to accessibility is not just a promise; it’s a core pillar of our mission to deliver a world-class travel experience for every single guest,” says Majed Al Joker, Chief Operating Officer at Dubai Airports. “By working closely with our partners and, most importantly and for the first time, with the wider People of Determination community, we are transforming the entire airport journey and setting a new global standard for accessible travel.”
Real stories, real impact
The launch coincides with DXB for All, a new public awareness campaign co-created with People of Determination and supported by the airport’s oneDXB partners. The campaign captures six powerful personal stories from travellers, each showing what accessibility looks and feels like in real life.
From a child with sensory sensitivities making his way through a bustling terminal with his mother, to a deaf traveller communicating through sign language, to tactile guidance systems that help guests with visual impairments, these stories invite audiences to see the airports through new eyes.
Anchored in empathy, DXB for All builds on the success of the 2022 initiative We All Meet the World Differently (WAMTWD), expanding the conversation from physical accessibility to cultural inclusivity and mindset change.
It features advocates including Emirati accessibility pioneer Fatma Al Jassim, Dubai-based mother Yasmin Carey with her son Ellis, who is on the autism spectrum, and award-winning disability inclusion consultant and former Paralympic swimmer Jessica Smith. The campaign also highlights voices from across the community, including Layth Kamal, who lives with autism and ADHD, Ahmed Butti, representing the deaf community, and Mohammed Alghafli, an advocate for the visually impaired.
“By co-creating this campaign with People of Determination, we are ensuring their voices shape how we design, operate and connect as an airport,” adds Al Joker.
Read more: Accessible travel triumphs in MENA
Collaboration at every touchpoint
Accessibility at DXB and DWC is a shared mission. The strategy brings together partners across the airport ecosystem including:
- Dubai Police
- flydubai
- Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services
- The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDIFA)
- Dubai Customs
- dnata
- Emirates
- Dubai Duty Free
As well as many more, ensuring every stage of travel is inclusive.
Existing services that already set Dubai Airports apart include:
- A Travel Planner online guide
- Terminal 2’s quiet and sensory-friendly Assisted Travel Lounge
- Wheelchair services
- Sunflower Lanyards for discreet assistance
- Complimentary accessible parking
- Hearing loops at 520 touchpoints
Together, these initiatives form a growing ecosystem designed to make Dubai’s airports among the most empathetic and responsive in the world.
Read more: The future of travel is accessible and why travel agents should be on board
A citywide commitment to inclusion
The timing of the strategy launch couldn’t be more fitting. The announcement came as Dubai hosted the AccessAbilities Expo 2025, the region’s largest event dedicated to accessibility and assistive technology.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, the three-day expo has drawn more than 270 exhibitors from 50 countries to the Dubai World Trade Centre.
The event, expected to welcome over 15,000 visitors, showcases a wide range of innovations from wearable devices and smart mobility systems to advanced prosthetics and sensory support technologies, all designed to promote independence, inclusion, and quality of life for People of Determination.
It’s a natural complement to Dubai Airports’ renewed accessibility strategy: while the airport refines the guest journey, the city’s innovators, public institutions, and advocacy groups are expanding the tools and technologies that make that journey smoother, safer, and more dignified.
The future of travel is inclusive
Dubai’s accessibility push reflects a broader regional transformation. The emirate is the first autism-friendly certified city in the Eastern Hemisphere, and neighbouring countries are following suit, from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Global, which has built accessibility into every stage of its design, to destinations across MENA embracing inclusive travel as the new standard.
As accessibility moves from policy to practice, Dubai Airports’ long-term strategy and the AccessAbilities Expo stand as proof that this region is not just keeping pace, it’s leading the way. Because when accessibility takes flight, everyone travels better.
