Concourse 3 testing programme underway
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With construction of Concourse 3 on track for completion at the end of 2012, Dubai Airports has launched an intensive operational readiness programme to prepare the new facility for its opening in the first quarter of 2013.
“Concourse 3 will be opened to the public in the first quarter of 2013 once Dubai Airports is completely satisfied that it has passed all operational and service readiness tests,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports. “We will not compromise on service,” he added.
Last month Dubai Airports, together with its stakeholders Emirates, dnata, police, immigration and Dubai Corporation for Aviation Engineering Projects, kicked off its Operational Readiness and Airport Transition (ORAT) programme. During this period Dubai Airports, as the landlord of the new facility, will in phases take over responsibility of Concourse 3, as the contractors complete their work.
By the end of April, key elements of the facility, including the baggage handling system and train system linking Terminal 3 to the new concourse were in place and are due to be handed over to Dubai Airports for trials in the coming weeks. Most of the structural work on Concourse 3 is complete, with work now predominately focused on the activation of airport systems and completion of the internal infrastructure.
Concourse 3, which will cater solely for Emirates Airline flights, is spread over 500,000m² and 11 levels. Featuring 20 contact gates and 13 remote stands, all capable of accommodating Airbus A380 aircraft, Concourse 3 will boost Dubai International’s capacity to 75 million passengers per year. The new building will have entire floors dedicated to business and first class passengers, allowing them to board directly from the lounge facilities. The Automated People Mover (APM), or train, carrying passengers from Terminal 3 to C3 is another first for Dubai Airports in the Middle East.
As the Concourse 3 project nears completion, work has already begun on phase one of the US$7.8 billion Strategic Plan 2020 which will boost Dubai International’s annual capacity to 90 million passengers by 2018 through several airport and airspace expansion projects.
As part of the plan, work to expand Terminal 2 to almost double its existing capacity continues apace, with construction well underway on the new check-in facilities. Design work for the new Concourse 4, which will be dedicated to more than 110 international airlines, is also underway.