Dubai International Airport has skipped past Heathrow and narrowed the gap to the top two of Atlanta and Beijing last year after piling on 11% more passengers, spurred by the expansion of local carrier Emirates and its mammoth fleet of wide-body jets.

The city that boasts the world’s tallest building is now home to the world’s busiest airport for international passengers too.

DUBAI International Capital may buy Liverpool FC for £500 million (€663m) as the British company’s owners struggle to refinance debt, the Observer reported.