Dubai Airports brings the city’s summer fitness movement to Dubai International for the first time, with weekly walks planned throughout August
Dubai’s summer fitness movement has found an unexpected new setting: the airport.
For the first time, Dubai Mallathon has expanded beyond shopping malls and into Dubai International Airport (DXB), where Dubai Airports has transformed part of Terminal 3 into an indoor walking track for employees, airport partners and members of the wider oneDXB community.
The first session took place at Terminal 3 Departures, with two morning walks bringing together Dubai Airports employees, members of the airport community and People of Determination.
The move adds a new dimension to an initiative designed to make physical activity easier to fit into everyday life, particularly during Dubai’s summer months.
From shopping malls to the airport
Launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, Dubai Mallathon turns air-conditioned indoor spaces into walking and running tracks during the summer.
The 2026 edition is taking that concept further. With DXB becoming the first non-mall venue to host the initiative, the programme is reaching people in one of the city’s busiest workplaces.
Majed Al Joker, chief operating officer at Dubai Airports, said the airport’s participation was about more than encouraging exercise.
“This is a community-driven movement that fits around shifts, work locations, and daily routines and where small steps make a big impact,” he said.
For an airport operating around the clock, the format also offers a practical way of incorporating movement into the working day.
Making wellbeing part of the workday
Airports are typically associated with constant movement, but Dubai Airports is using the Mallathon to turn that movement into a deliberate wellbeing activity.
The initiative is part of DXB’s wider efforts to create shared experiences among its workforce and the broader oneDXB community, while supporting Dubai’s ambition to make health and wellbeing a more natural part of everyday life.
Demaithan Al Qamzi, general coordinator of Dubai Mallathon, described the airport’s participation as an important expansion of the initiative’s reach.
Bringing Mallathon to DXB, he said, extends the programme to airport employees, the wider airport community and travellers, while demonstrating how the initiative has evolved from a sporting event into a community movement.
Weekly walks through August
The airport’s Mallathon programme will continue every Friday throughout August, with sessions taking place at different locations across Terminal 3.
The walks will bring together colleagues, airport community partners and members of the public, creating an opportunity for people working at and passing through one of Dubai’s busiest transport hubs to take part.
The August 28 session will have an additional focus, with Dubai Airports marking Emirati Women’s Day by inviting members of the oneDXB community to join the walk and recognise the contributions of Emirati women across the organisation and the aviation sector.
A summer movement with serious momentum
Dubai Mallathon has grown rapidly since its launch. The 2025 edition attracted more than 40,000 participants, who collectively recorded over 120 million steps across participating malls. The event also secured a Guinness World Records title for the most runners in a mall run event.
The 2026 edition continues across Dubai until September 15, with participating malls providing air-conditioned spaces for walking and running.
DXB’s involvement signals how the idea can move beyond traditional fitness venues and become part of the places where people already spend their time.
In a city where summer temperatures can make outdoor exercise challenging, the concept is deliberately simple: find an accessible indoor space, keep moving and make wellbeing part of the everyday routine. At DXB, that could mean getting your steps in before a shift, between meetings or while connecting with the wider airport community.
