Transit flight Requirement at Dubai Airport

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FlyDubai flight 1930 arrives in terminal 2. PIA flights depart from terminal 3. Those terminals are literally on opposite sides of the airport.

With checked luggage, it’s completely impossible. You need to:

  • disembark
  • get to passport control, queue, get through
  • wait for your luggage
  • exit the terminal and get to the shuttle bus stop
  • wait for a shuttle bus (one shuttle every 15 minutes, with limited capacity so you may have to wait for the next one)
  • get to terminal 3 (30 minutes)
  • get to the check-in desk for your flight, queue, and check in 1 hour before departure

So you have to do all that in 40 minutes, when just the transfer from terminal 2 to to terminal 3 takes between 30 and 45 minutes in the best of cases.

Without luggage, provided you can check-in online (which is not a given, especially these days) you need to:

  • disembark
  • get to passport control, queue, get through
  • exit the terminal and get to the shuttle bus stop
  • wait for a shuttle bus (one shuttle every 15 minutes, with limited capacity so you may have to wait for the next one)
  • get to terminal 3 (30 minutes)
  • go through passport control, security
  • get to your gate 30 minutes before departure

So you have 1h10 to do all that. Some people have done it in about an hour, but it’s a very close call, and if you just missed a shuttle, or the shuttle is full and you need to wait for the next one, and you’re toast. It also depends a lot on how long it takes to go through passport control (twice) and security. I have no recent experience with DXB so I have no idea what the wait times usually are and/or if they can vary significantly.

And that’s if your incoming flight is on time.

So I’d say, even without checked luggage, no.

The usual rule of thumb for self-connections is at least 4 hours between arrival and departure, though I would add some additional margin given the requirement to change terminals. COVID-related restrictions and checks also add some time.

Remember that if you miss your outgoing flight after having bought the tickets separately you’re on the hook to book and buy a new ticket (at last minute prices which may be a lot more expensive), all incidentals, and any further flights on the same ticket may be cancelled as well. If you book connecting flights all that is the airline’s responsibility.

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