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A US$32 billion (AUD35 billion) expansion plan for Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport has been endorsed by ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The initial plan includes two satellite buildings that will be able to handle 100 Airbus A380 planes.

Artists impression of the new airport. Photo: Dubai Airports

The airport will also have five parallel runways, each 4,500m long and 800m apart, allowing four simultaneous landings.

It is expected that the entire development will cover an area of 56 square kilometres.

Backers predict that the airport will eventually handle more than 200 million passengers each year, making it the biggest airport in the world.

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The emirate's current main airport, Dubai International, is already one of the biggest in the world and has a capacity of 75 million passengers. Traffic through this airport has been growing at rapid rates and hit 66.4 million people in 2013.

The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, currently the busiest airport in the world, handled 94.4 million passengers last year, according to Associated Press.

Completion of the project at Dubai World Central is expected within six to eight years.

In addition to the sheer size of the airport, Al Maktoum International will employ new technology and efficient processes that promise to cut time spent completing travel formalities and reduce walking distances, enabling fast connections.

The original Al Maktoum airport project took off before the 2009 recession hit the country and stalled operations until a cargo service opened in 2010. According to AFP, the airport opened passenger service to smaller airlines and low-cost carriers in October 2013.