Ras Al Khaimah breaks ground on a private jet terminal due in summer 2027

Construction has started on a private aviation terminal and hangar complex at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, with completion now expected in summer 2027 rather than the first quarter, Arabian Business reported on 13 November 2026. The facility sits about 15 minutes from Al Marjan Island and is timed for the September 2027 opening of Wynn Al Marjan Island, so for a buyer on the island it is one more piece of the 2027 timetable falling into place. The same week brought a caution from the airport itself: its chief executive told Skift on 11 November 2026 that passenger traffic will finish 2026 some 25 to 28 per cent below 2025 and that work on a new main passenger terminal has not begun.

What was announced and what has changed

The project was first announced at the Dubai Airshow on 20 November 2025, in a release from the RAK Media Office. Falcon Executive Aviation, part of Alex Group Investment, agreed with the airport to develop and operate a fixed base operation comprising a 1,500 square metre terminal, an 8,000 square metre multi purpose hangar, a 9,000 square metre apron, one royal lounge, four VVIP lounges, a helipad and space for vertical mobility aircraft, with a build time of about 15 months and an opening in the first quarter of 2027. Sheikh Salem bin Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi, chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation and of the airport's board, said the announcement "marks a significant milestone in Ras Al Khaimah's continued emergence as a global destination".

Arabian Business reported on 13 November 2026 that ground has now been broken and that two things have moved. The apron has grown from 9,000 to 20,000 square metres, and the completion target has slipped from the first quarter of 2027 to summer 2027. The complex will also be equipped for electric vertical take off and landing aircraft. Sultan Rashit Al Shene, founder and chairman of Alex Group Investment, said: "Breaking ground marks an important milestone for us." No construction cost has been published.

The airport behind the headline

Ras Al Khaimah International Airport passed one million passengers for the first time in 2025, up 51 per cent, serving 16 international destinations, Arabian Business reported on 13 November 2026. The year since has been harder. Manish Seth, the airport's chief executive, told Skift on 11 November 2026 that 2026 traffic is expected to end 25 to 28 per cent below 2025, citing carriers avoiding Iranian airspace, the absence of Russian flights and the loss of European seasonal charters.

The existing terminal was built for 1.2 to 1.3 million passengers a year and the airport is working to lift that to 1.4 to 1.5 million through process and technology changes ahead of the Wynn opening, per the same interview. The long planned new passenger terminal is on hold. Mr Seth said: "Construction work for the new passenger terminal has not started yet." The airport is courting full service carriers for routes to the United Kingdom and China, which he said could begin in roughly one and a half to two years, and its 2030 target of 1.8 to 1.9 million passengers remains.

Tourism and the resort it serves

The emirate recorded 1.35 million overnight visitors in 2025, up 6 per cent, with tourism revenue up 12 per cent, according to the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority on 19 January 2026. The authority targets more than 3.5 million visitors and a doubling of hotel keys by 2030, and its release describes Wynn Al Marjan Island as 1,530 rooms and suites.

Wynn Resorts said on 5 November 2026 that it contributed USD 62.2 million to the resort in the third quarter, taking its equity to USD 1.12 billion, and that the opening remains set for September 2027; our report on the third quarter results has the detail. Skift reported on 11 November 2026 that the private terminal's apron will hold four corporate jets of Boeing or Airbus size and that it is meant to open weeks before the resort.

What it means for investors

First, the island's sales data already reflects a wait for 2027. The Ras Al Khaimah Municipality's report on 2025 transactions records 250 registered sales on Al Marjan Island worth AED 940.3 million, against 378 worth AED 4.04 billion in 2024. A terminal for private jets does not change that arithmetic on its own, but it is infrastructure a buyer in late 2027 will be able to see rather than read about. Our guide to Ras Al Khaimah and Al Marjan Island for international buyers sets out ownership rules and fees.

Second, the stock nearest the terminal is off plan and priced across a wide range. Castilion Estates lists Fairmont Residences Al Marjan Island by Ardee Developments from AED 2.4 million on a 40/60 plan with handover in the fourth quarter of 2028, Ardee Views from AED 888,000 on a 50/50 plan with three years of post handover instalments and completion expected in the fourth quarter of 2029, both as verified on 13 November 2026, and NH Collection Hotel and Residences from AED 1.6 million on a 70/30 plan with handover scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027, as verified on 3 November 2026.

Third, for a buyer in the United States, Canada or Latin America, the dirham is pegged at AED 3.6725 to the US dollar, so AED 888,000 is about USD 242,000, AED 1.6 million about USD 436,000 and AED 2.4 million about USD 653,000, with no currency risk against the dollar. Owners who report foreign property or rental income at home should confirm the rules with an adviser; our US investors page lists the questions to ask.

Fourth, financing follows the payment plan. The Central Bank of the UAE caps every off plan mortgage at 50 per cent of value under Circular 31/2013, whatever the buyer's nationality or residence, so construction instalments are normally paid from cash and a loan is arranged at or after handover, when each bank applies its own non resident terms. Our off plan mortgage page explains how handover finance is arranged.

What to watch

Three dates matter: the September 2027 Wynn opening, reaffirmed on 5 November 2026; the summer 2027 completion of the private aviation complex, which has already moved once; and any announcement of the long haul routes Mr Seth described, the first sign that the main airport is growing again rather than waiting. Castilion Estates presents three projects on Al Marjan Island and will report each milestone as it is published.