Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths believes smaller aircraft capable of flying longer distances could reshape international air travel over the next decade, opening new routes between regional European cities and Dubai while creating fresh opportunities for smaller airports.
Speaking at a roundtable on the sidelines of the World Travel & Tourism Council’s Global Summit in Malta, Griffiths said advances in aircraft technology would allow more cities to connect directly with major international hubs without relying on large aircraft.
He pointed to places such as Exeter, Valencia, Lyon, Marseille and Baden-Baden as examples of cities that could benefit from direct flights to Dubai. From there, passengers could connect to destinations around the world.
“The great thing, of course, is aircraft technology is changing all the time, and with smaller aircraft able to fly longer distances we’ll have all of those secondary cities in Europe directly connected to Dubai,” Griffiths said. He added that the change would “change the shape of travel”.
The comments come as Dubai pushes ahead with plans to expand Al Maktoum International Airport, also known as Dubai World Central (DWC), into a major global aviation hub. Announced in 2024, the project is designed to make the airport the world’s largest, with 400 terminal gates, five runways and the capacity to handle up to 260 million passengers a year once completed. The expansion is expected to be completed by 2032.
Griffiths said regional airports could become increasingly important as aircraft manufacturers develop narrow-body jets capable of serving longer routes that previously required larger planes. These aircraft can make some routes commercially viable even when passenger numbers are not sufficient to fill a wide-body aircraft.
“I think over the next decade or so there will be a fantastic opportunity for regional airports to expand their operations,” he said.
For smaller airports, the opportunity extends beyond attracting new airlines. Griffiths argued that reliable road and other surface transport connections would be essential to making regional airports more attractive to passengers and investors. Better connectivity could also bring economic benefits to the communities around them.
“All they have to do is get their surface transport access sorted out and that will be a good place to invest and it will be great for regional economies,” he said.
However, expanding air travel also raises questions about the industry’s environmental impact. Griffiths identified sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as a central part of efforts to reduce aviation emissions, arguing that governments and private companies would both need to play a role in increasing its production and use.
He pointed to Singapore’s approach to green aviation fuel policy as an example worth considering. In his view, governments should establish requirements for airlines to use gradually increasing proportions of sustainable aviation fuel blended with conventional jet fuel, while encouraging private investment in production.
The challenge, he suggested, is to balance the economic benefits of growing tourism with the environmental effects of additional flights and airport infrastructure. Expansion, he argued, should be accompanied by serious environmental safeguards and a framework that supports sustainable growth.
Griffiths also outlined his vision for a less intrusive airport experience, building on earlier comments he made during a panel discussion about digital identity and border procedures. He suggested that the need to present physical passports could diminish significantly within the next five years as biometric identification becomes more widely used.
At future airports, facial recognition could allow passengers to move through border controls without repeatedly presenting passports or boarding passes. Artificial intelligence could also help speed up baggage screening.
Griffiths said the aim should be to make the technology almost invisible to travellers, allowing airport staff to focus more on human interaction and customer service.
“I can’t comment on the technology that you see, because hopefully if you don’t see any technology, then we will have done our job incredibly well,” he said.
He also criticised security procedures that subject passengers to unnecessarily intrusive checks, arguing that new systems should make the process faster and less disruptive.
“We can do it so much more quickly and less obtrusively,” Griffiths said.
His comments point to two changes that could influence the future of air travel: aircraft that allow more regional cities to reach international destinations directly, and airport systems designed to move passengers through terminals with fewer delays and less paperwork. For regional airports, the potential benefits will depend on airline demand, transport connections, investment and the ability to manage the environmental costs of growth.
