DXB is the main Dubai airport (Emirates hub, 12 km to Downtown). DWC is Al Maktoum out near Jebel Ali — 40 km away, mostly low-cost carriers and charters. Confused before your trip? Here is what actually matters when you book a transfer.
Travellers regularly confuse the two airports because both share the city name. Look at the three-letter IATA code on your booking. DXB = Dubai International, in Garhoud, the airport everyone pictures when they think of Dubai. DWC = Al Maktoum International, in Jebel Ali on the south-west edge of Dubai, near Expo City.
Drive times differ sharply. DXB to Downtown is 15–20 minutes. DWC to Downtown is 40–55 minutes. DWC to Dubai Marina is around 30 minutes. DWC to Abu Dhabi is actually faster than DXB to Abu Dhabi because you're already past the toll line.
Our chauffeur fare structure stays the same — E-Class from AED 120, S-Class from AED 220, V-Class from AED 250 — but longer DWC drives to inner-city Dubai are typically quoted slightly higher because of distance. Both airports get the full meet-and-greet treatment: name board, terminal pickup, Salik and parking included, 60 minutes of free wait.
| Route | Distance | Drive time |
|---|---|---|
| DXB → Downtown | Via Al Khail Rd | 15–20 min |
| DXB → Marina / JBR | Via SZR | 25–35 min |
| DXB → Palm Jumeirah | Via SZR | 25–30 min |
| DWC → Downtown | Via SMBZ Rd | 40–55 min |
| DWC → Marina / JBR | Via SMBZ Rd | 25–35 min |
| DWC → Abu Dhabi | Via E11 | 55–70 min |
Chauffeur staged 15 minutes before pickup, every time. If we make you late for a flight or meeting, the ride is on us.
Once your booking is confirmed, we never cancel on you. Driver illness or vehicle issue triggers an immediate backup dispatch — not a refund and goodbye.
A second vehicle is held on standby for every flight pickup, wedding, FBO transfer and time-critical inter-emirate run. Mechanical failure adds zero minutes.
Pickup auto-adjusts to your actual landing time across DXB, DWC, AUH, SHJ and DWC FBOs. 60 minutes of free wait after wheels-down on every transfer.
The single most expensive mistake a visitor makes with Dubai transport is assuming there is one airport. DXB — Dubai International, in Garhoud — is the airport almost everyone means: the Emirates hub, three terminals, roughly 90 per cent of the emirate's passenger traffic, and twelve kilometres from Downtown. DWC — Al Maktoum International, in Dubai South near Expo City — is a separate airport 40 kilometres further south-west, serving low-cost carriers, charter operators, cargo and private aviation. The two are 45 to 60 minutes apart in normal traffic, which is more than enough to lose a flight.
Check the three-letter code on the booking rather than the words. Ticketing systems display both as 'Dubai', and a surprising number of arrivals discover the difference only when the driver is waiting at the wrong terminal. If you are flying Emirates, flydubai's main network, British Airways, Lufthansa, Qatar, Singapore or almost any full-service carrier, you are at DXB. Wizz Air, several European and Central Asian low-cost carriers, seasonal charters and most private jets operate from DWC.
Drive times differ sharply by destination, and not always in the direction people expect. DXB to Downtown is 15 to 20 minutes via Al Khail Road, and DXB to Marina 25 to 35 via Sheikh Zayed Road. DWC to Downtown is 40 to 55 minutes on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, but DWC to Dubai Marina is only 25 to 35 because the airport sits south-west of the city, and DWC to Abu Dhabi is genuinely faster than DXB to Abu Dhabi for the same reason. If your stay is in Marina, JBR or Jebel Ali, arriving at DWC is no penalty at all.
Our pricing model is identical at both airports: a fare fixed at the point of booking, inclusive of Salik, parking, fuel, meet-and-greet inside arrivals and 60 minutes of complimentary waiting after landing. The number itself is distance-based, so a DWC run into the inner city is quoted a little above the DXB equivalent, while a DWC run to Marina sits close to it. The important part is that the quoted figure does not move for peak hours, rain, Ramadan evenings or event weekends.
Terminal handling at DXB covers all three buildings. Terminal 1 takes most international carriers, Terminal 2 is flydubai and regional traffic on the far side of the runway — a good ten minutes' drive from T1, which matters if you are collecting two arrivals — and Terminal 3 is Emirates. DWC has a single passenger terminal plus separate FBO facilities for private aviation, where we stage apron-side by arrangement rather than in the public arrivals hall.
Mixed itineraries are common and easy to handle: a morning drop at DXB, a wait, and an afternoon collection from DWC. Booked as separate transfers you pay twice for the positioning; booked as an hourly charter on a three-hour minimum you keep the same chauffeur and the same car across both legs, which usually works out cheaper from about two and a half hours upward and removes the risk of a second driver being unavailable when a flight slips.
One last practical point for departures. Because DWC is close to the Abu Dhabi border and DXB is inside the city, the safe departure buffer differs. From Downtown, leave three hours before a DXB departure and three and a half to four before a DWC one — more between 7 and 9 AM, when Sheikh Zayed Road southbound and the SMBZ Road interchange both build at the same time.
This page covers compare · airports. The operating model behind it is the same everywhere we work in the Emirates, and it is the reason international travel programmes route their UAE legs to us.
Chauffeurr made a deliberate choice not to become another worldwide chauffeur directory. Depth in one market beats a thin presence in fifty, and the United Arab Emirates rewards depth: multiple emirates with different licensing regimes, airports spread across three of them, building access rules that differ tower by tower, and traffic patterns that change with the season and the working week.
Because we run our own RTA and DCT-licensed fleet with permanently employed chauffeurs, the standard does not change between a hotel guest transfer, a board-level roadshow and a monthly corporate assignment. That consistency is what makes us the UAE partner of choice for global networks, properties, travel management companies and in-house travel teams who need the local leg handled without supervision.
Practically, every booking carries the same commitments: a fixed quoted fare inclusive of tolls, parking and fuel; flight-tracked airport pickups with sixty minutes of complimentary waiting; passenger-insured vehicles; NDA-bound chauffeurs; and consolidated VAT invoicing with cost-centre tagging for corporate accounts.
Placing UAE ground transport for a network, property or corporate programme? Read how partner accounts work or message the operations desk on +971 (50) 239 0670.
DXB (Dubai International, code DXB) is Dubai's main airport in Garhoud, 5 km from Downtown and the hub for Emirates and flydubai. DWC (Al Maktoum International, code DWC) is the newer airport in Jebel Ali, 40 km south-west of Downtown — mostly cargo, charters, low-cost carriers and overflow A380 traffic. Always check your ticket; DXB and DWC are 45–60 minutes apart.
DWC to Downtown Dubai is approximately 45 km and takes 40–55 minutes in normal traffic via Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. DXB to Downtown is only 12 km and 15–20 minutes via Al Khail Road.
Slightly. A Chauffeurr E-Class is AED 120 from either airport, but DWC drives to Dubai Marina or Downtown will typically be quoted at AED 150–180 because of distance and Salik. DXB transfers stay at the flat AED 120 entry fare for most Dubai zones.
DXB handles around 90% of Dubai's international passenger traffic, including all Emirates flights. DWC mainly serves Wizz Air, some charter operators and a growing list of European low-cost carriers. If you're flying Emirates, British Airways, Etihad, Qatar, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines — you're at DXB.
Yes — book it as an hourly charter (3-hour minimum at AED 150/hr for E-Class). The chauffeur drops you at DXB, waits or returns to base, then collects the second arrival from DWC. WhatsApp +971 (50) 239 0670 for a fixed quote.
Yes, all three: Terminal 1 (most international), Terminal 2 (flydubai, regional), Terminal 3 (Emirates). Meet-and-greet is included at every terminal, 24/7.