Flying out on 1 January? Plan the pick-up.

What is known about 1 January 2027

Friday 1 January 2027 is the Gregorian New Year public holiday on the federal list at u.ae. The night before is Thursday 31 December, when Dubai’s celebrations take place. Both dates are fixed. What the city does with its roads, Metro and parking on those two days has not been published for 2026/27 yet.

Last year’s notices arrived late. The Dubai Media Office release for the night of 31 December 2025 came out on 26 December. So this page uses 2025 arrangements only as a guide to the type of thing to check, and it says so each time.

This page covers Dubai International (DXB). If you are flying from Al Maktoum, our Al Maktoum airport transfer page covers that airport.

Public options first

For one or two people with light bags, the public options are often enough. Look at these before you consider a private vehicle.

• Metro and Tram: in 2025 they ran for 43 hours without a break, from 5am on Wednesday 31 December to 11:59pm on Thursday 1 January for the Metro. The Tram ran until 1am on Friday 2 January. That is last year, not this year. Check the RTA site for the 2026/27 hours.
• Taxi and e-hail: more than 14,000 taxis were on the road for the 2025 celebrations, according to the RTA. A morning airport run is a normal taxi job, but taxis are scarce when many people leave at once, and no one can promise one for a time.
• Parking: last year, public parking was reported free on 1 January, except multi-storey car parks and Al Khail Gate. If you plan to leave a car near a station, check this year’s notice.
• Organiser information: the RTA and Dubai Media Office publish the holiday service notices, and your airline sets the check-in times for your flight.

None of this fits a group of 12 with 20 suitcases particularly well. That is the point at which a booked vehicle comes in.

The morning after: what to plan around

The main risk on 1 January is not the distance. It is the state of the road network after the night before. Last year closures started at 4pm on 31 December and widened until 11pm, across streets in and around Downtown, including part of Sheikh Zayed Road. We do not know when the roads reopened, because the sources we read do not say.

So we do not promise a route in advance. We agree a pick-up point that is outside any closure, with a back-up, and we confirm it in writing once the notice is out. A hotel inside a closed area may mean a short walk to the vehicle. Tell us the hotel and any mobility needs when you ask for the quote.

Also plan your luggage. Late checkouts, shared rooms and gifts from a short stay all add bags. The big group arrival at DXB guide describes how we plan the airport kerb for large parties, and the same thinking applies on departure.

Modelled drive times to DXB

These figures come from a free-flow route model with no traffic and no closures. It was run from each place to the airport, and the opposite direction is treated as the same within a margin of about 10 percent in distance. We round the times to ranges. They are not a promise. On 1 January, allow more.

We could not find a figure for the early-morning drive after a night of closures. That is not in the model either. The sensible thing is to add a margin and agree the departure time with the group the day before.

How a booked group pick-up works

We are Dubai Bus Services, a private company. We are not an organiser’s or the RTA’s transport provider, and the airport run is booked directly with us. We do not sell tickets or entry to any event.

You give us the hotel, the number of people and bags, the flight time and the terminal. The terminal is on your booking, and your airline sets the check-in time. We work back from the check-in time to a pick-up time, add a margin for the day, and put both in the written quote. The driver is told the pick-up point and who to look for.

A small executive group fits the Mercedes V-Class. A family or friends party with luggage fits the 13-seater van or the Mercedes Sprinter. A company team, a school party or a wedding group goes better in the 30-seater mini coach or the 50-seater coach. Our general Dubai airport transfer page explains how pick-ups and waiting work on any day.

Leaving the same night, or the day before

Some groups do not want to risk 1 January at all. If your flight is early, the option is to stay near the airport on the night, or to fly on 2 January. If your evening is in Downtown, think about how you will leave the area after midnight, which our New Year’s Eve with a group guide covers.

December is peak season, so larger vehicles and drivers are booked early.

Asking for a quote

Send the date, the hotel, the number of people and bags, the flight time and the airport. We reply with a fixed written quote before you accept, and we update the pick-up if the notices change. Entry rules depend on your passport. Check the official UAE government visa page before you book. Use the booking page.

Related: Dubai airport transfer for groups · Big group arrival at DXB · New Year’s Eve with a group · Dubai Airport to Downtown Dubai · Dubai Airport to Palm Jumeirah · Peak season booking guide · Al Maktoum Airport (DWC) transfer · Get a quote

Keep reading

• New Year’s Eve with a group: How to move a group on New Year’s Eve in Dubai: road closures, drop-off points, timings, vehicle sizes and the late return that decides everything.
• JBR, Marina and Bluewaters on NYE: Last year JBR was closed to private vehicles from 4pm on New Year’s Eve. What was reported, how that shapes a hotel stay in the Marina, and the walk to the Metro.
• NYE: last year’s closures as a template: Dubai has not published its 31 December 2026 plan. This guide sets out what was published for 2025 and turns it into a checklist for a group.
• Dubai airport transfer for groups: Vans, Sprinters, mini coaches and 50-seat coaches for groups landing at DXB or DWC, with the luggage and the split flights planned.
• Check-out to a late flight: day plan with a driver: You check out around noon, your flight leaves after midnight and the bags are with you. A day plan with a driver, the bags on board and the airport as the last stop.
• Airport transfer or day hire?: One airport ride and one tour day in Dubai: when two separate bookings make sense, when one driver for the day does, and what to ask for in the quote.