Airport Terminal 1 (R14) is the Red Line station connected to DXB Terminal 1, in zone 5. Airport Terminal 3 and Al Garhoud are its neighbouring stations. Use the terminal on your booking, not a general assumption about your airline.
Arriving at Terminal 1
Follow Metro signs from arrivals and buy or top up your Nol card before entering the paid area. For Deira, Downtown or the Marina corridor, board a train towards Expo 2020 or Life Pharmacy. A Centrepoint-bound train goes first to Terminal 3 and then away from the city.
From Terminal 1, Union is four stops city-bound: Al Garhoud, City Centre Deira, Al Rigga, then Union. BurJuman follows Union. Both offer changes to the Green Line; choose the one appropriate to your destination.
Terminal 1 versus Terminal 3
Terminal 1 is one stop closer to Downtown than Terminal 3, not farther away. A journey estimate still needs time for the terminal walk, ticket purchase, waiting and the walk at the other end. For a connecting flight, follow the airport and airline’s transfer instructions; leaving airside to use the Metro can involve immigration, baggage collection and security.
If your booking says Terminal 2
Terminal 2 has no Metro station. Do not assume it is reached by a short walk from a Red Line airport platform. See the Terminal 2 guide for road-transfer options.
Returning for a flight
Check the departure time from your origin in RTA’s planner and add the airline’s check-in margin. Network opening hours are not a promise that a train reaches your station at that minute. If the first train is too late, arrange a taxi.
Correction, 26 September 2026: corrected the Terminal 1/Terminal 3 direction and removed unverified walking and flight-connection assurances.