Monday, Oct 21, 2013
Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Airports’ chief executive said on Monday that they are on track to complete the Dh10.8 billion Midfield Terminal Building on time with its full commissioning slated for 0700 hours on July 17, 2017.
Tony Douglas told reporters in the capital that the first buttress for the main structural steel arches of the Midfield Terminal Building was laid on Sunday, seven days ahead of schedule. “It is a clear indicator of Abu Dhabi Airports’ unwavering commitment to delivering the Midfield Terminal Building on time and on budget,” he said.
Commenting on the development, Majed Al Mansoori, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “The government of Abu Dhabi has graciously bestowed on Abu Dhabi Airports the responsibility of delivering a sustainable, iconic airport terminal building for the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Achieving this milestone is a significant step along the path of developing world-class airport infrastructure for Abu Dhabi, and its goal of becoming a vital transportation hub for the region.”
Al Mansoori said that the buttress is one of 18 substructures that will form the base of the Midfield Terminal Building’s steel structure. This base will hold the nine arches that comprise the building’s roof, which will have an arch span of 180 metres at its widest point. The whole steel structure of the MTB contains 85,000 tonnes of steel and the assembled buttress makes up 0.1 per cent of the entire structure.
Speaking to Gulf News, Douglas said that on November 7 the project would be 11 per cent complete. “In the next 200 days, it will be 28 per cent complete,” he said. “Half way through next year, all the concrete work will have been done.
“By the end of 2014, the steel structure would come up with large parts of facade and glazing completed. Mechanical and electrical works would start end of this year and continue through 2014 encompassing water, electricity and power.”
In 2014-2015, Douglas said there will be work on building the world’s largest baggage handling system while 2016 while see the installation of sophisticated security and control systems.
“In the last nine months, there will be trial runs, integration testing and running checks on operational readiness,” said Douglas.
Abu Dhabi Airports in June last year awarded the Dh10.8 billion contract to a consortium of TAV, Arabtec and CCC to build the terminal. Once ready, it will have the capacity to handle 30 million passengers a year and the airport will become one of the world’s largest in terms of passenger-capacity handling. The midfield terminal building will have parking bays for as many as 65 aircraft, which complements the fleet expansion plans of the emirate’s airline, Etihad Airways, who plan to increase their fleet size to 152 aircraft by 2020. The airline estimates an average 14 per cent capacity growth through to the end of the decade.
By Himendra ?Mohan Kumar Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
