At the time of the Sharjah VC10 incident the word among the local aviation community was that the crew realised the error while still on the approach but committed to a touchdown, from the large number of visual cues that it might not be DXB, and then did a roller, followed by positioning (radar?) back on to the approach to DXB. The rumour added that the Captain was done for taking off without clearance.
It was a very hazy day with poor visibility.
However, Capt Airclues version may be more accurate, if not such a good story.