Flight Paths and Aircraft Noise
Is that tower under a flight path? The approach and departure corridors for every UAE runway in use, banded by how loud an aircraft is likely to be, over a map of where aircraft have actually been recorded. Click any spot, search a building or pick a community, and see which runway it sits under, how low the aircraft are, and what Dubai’s move from DXB to DWC does to it.
Mirdif sits under the approach to DXB runway 30L, about 4.4 km before touchdown, directly beneath the track. Aircraft pass at roughly 244 m, an estimated peak of about 76 dB(A) per overflight, on the order of 230 a day. That end is in use about 80% of the year. When the wind reverses it sits under the departure climb from DXB runway 12R instead, aircraft at roughly 271 m, about 85 dB(A).
The airports and the assumptions
- Dubai International. About 1,150 movements a day, 0 after the DWC move; 80% on the 30R ends (broker-grade). Arrivals on the 30 ends come in over Mirdif, Al Warqa and Rashidiya; departures on 30 climb out over Deira and the coast. Dubai has announced that all DXB operations move to DWC, with a ten-year horizon from 2024.
- Al Maktoum International. About 150 movements a day, 1,500 after the DWC move; 80% on the 30 ends (broker-grade). Cargo and a modest passenger schedule today. The announced expansion (AED 128 billion, capacity for 260 million passengers) makes it the busiest airport in the country, with more runways than the one drawn here.
- Zayed International, Abu Dhabi. About 400 movements a day, 500 after the DWC move; 75% on the 31R ends (broker-grade). Departures on the 31 ends climb out to the north-west towards Yas and the Gulf; arrivals on 31 come in over Khalifa City and Masdar.
- Sharjah International. About 300 movements a day, 350 after the DWC move; 80% on the 30 ends (broker-grade). Arrivals on 30 pass over Al Rahmaniya and Muwaileh; departures on 30 head out over Al Nahda and the Dubai border towards the coast.
- Al Bateen Executive. About 60 movements a day; 75% on the 31 ends (broker-grade). Business jets only, on Abu Dhabi island. Few movements, but low over the city.
Corridors are modelled from runway geometry: straight-in approaches on a 3 degree glide, departures straight ahead then a 35 degree fan. Loudness is a distance model calibrated to about 80 dB(A) for a widebody at 1,000 ft on approach and mid 80s on departure. Every figure is an estimate. The observed layer is real. For a quieter unit in the same building, floor and facade matter: ask us. Sun and shade checker.
Communities under a corridor
Every community guide on the site with a position inside a modelled corridor, loudest first, today and after the DWC move. Communities not listed sit clear of every corridor in both pictures.
| Community | Today | Under | After the DWC move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Islands | High · ~82 dB(A) | DXB 30R departure, aircraft at ~466 m | Quiet |
| Yas Island | High · ~80 dB(A) | AUH 31R departure, aircraft at ~348 m | High · AUH 31R departure |
| Mirdif | Noticeable · ~75 dB(A) | DXB 30L arrival, aircraft at ~253 m | Quiet |
| Masdar City | Noticeable · ~74 dB(A) | AUH 31L departure | Noticeable · AUH 31L departure |
| Al Shamkha | Noticeable · ~71 dB(A) | AUH 31L arrival, aircraft at ~255 m | Noticeable · AUH 31L arrival |
| Fahid Island | Noticeable · ~69 dB(A) | AUH 31L departure, aircraft at ~1257 m | Noticeable · AUH 31L departure |
| Al Jubail Island | Noticeable · ~69 dB(A) | AUH 13R arrival, aircraft at ~1097 m | Noticeable · AUH 13R arrival |
| Al Maryah Island | Noticeable · ~65 dB(A) | Al Bateen 31 departure, aircraft at ~586 m | Noticeable · Al Bateen 31 departure |
| Al Raha Beach | Background · ~64 dB(A) | AUH 31R departure, aircraft at ~521 m | Background · AUH 31R departure |
| Aljada | Background · ~63 dB(A) | SHJ 30 departure | Background · SHJ 30 departure |
| Al Reem Island | Background · ~61 dB(A) | Al Bateen 31 departure, aircraft at ~495 m | Background · Al Bateen 31 departure |
| Masaar | Background · ~61 dB(A) | SHJ 30 arrival, aircraft at ~504 m | Background · SHJ 30 arrival |
| Tilal City | Background · ~59 dB(A) | SHJ 30 arrival, aircraft at ~185 m | Background · SHJ 30 arrival |
Noise is a price too
Nobody prices a flight path in a brochure, and the registered numbers show it anyway: two communities the same distance from Downtown can trade at a gap that has no other explanation than what passes overhead every three minutes. The corridors are fixed by the runways, so they can be checked before a viewing. The one thing that moves is the airport itself. Dubai’s decision to shift DXB to DWC turns today’s loudest corridors quiet and puts a full hub over Dubai South and its neighbours, which is worth knowing whether you are buying a villa in Mirdif or an apartment in Emaar South.
Use the map with the sun and shade checker for the facade, and the sold prices explorer for what buyers actually paid on either side of a corridor. For a specific unit, the floor and the glazing decide most of it: ask us and we check the building.
Questions buyers ask
How do I know if a community is under a flight path?
Click it on the map or pick it from the list. Instrument approaches are flown straight along the extended runway centreline on a 3 degree glide, so the arrival corridors are fixed by the runway. Departures climb straight ahead and then fan out. The coloured bands are those corridors, banded by how loud an aircraft is likely to be there. The heat layer underneath is where aircraft below 3,000 m have actually been recorded.
Which Dubai communities are loudest today?
The approach to DXB’s 30 runways, which are in use most of the year, runs over Mirdif, Al Warqa, Mushrif and Rashidiya, with aircraft a few hundred metres up. Departures on 30 climb out over Al Garhoud, Deira and Al Mamzar. On the days the wind swings the other way, the pattern reverses: arrivals over Deira and the coast, departures over Mirdif and Academic City.
What changes when DXB moves to DWC?
Dubai announced in 2024 that all operations at Dubai International move to Al Maktoum International at Dubai South, within about ten years, behind an AED 128 billion expansion. When that happens the corridors over Mirdif, Deira and Garhoud go quiet, and the corridors over Dubai South, Expo City, Emaar South, Dubai Investment Park and the Jebel Ali side carry a full hub’s traffic. The switch on the map shows both pictures for any spot.
Is Yas Island or Saadiyat affected by Abu Dhabi airport?
Departures on Zayed International’s 31 runways climb out to the north-west, which points them towards Yas and the sea, so parts of Yas hear departures. Saadiyat sits further west and off the corridor. Arrivals on 31 come in over Khalifa City and Masdar. Al Bateen, on the island, adds business-jet movements low over the city.
How accurate are the noise numbers?
They are estimates from a distance model, not measurements. The model is calibrated to published figures for a widebody at 1,000 ft, about 80 dB(A) on approach and the mid 80s on departure, and falls off with distance. Aircraft type, wind, floor height, glazing and the direction of the room all move the real figure. Treat the bands as a strong guide and the observed-track layer as the ground truth on where aircraft fly.
Can I check a specific tower?
Type the building or address in the search box; it uses the same place search as the sun and shade checker. The answer is for the ground position. A high floor is closer to the aircraft but clears the neighbours that block noise at street level, so read the answer as the building’s exposure rather than the unit’s.
