Dubai: Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport (DIA), which will more than double the current passenger handling capacity, will open for exclusive use by Emirates on October 14, Dubai Airports said yesterday.
The airport's operator said the new facility will be opened to its full capacity in four phases to ensure that systems and processes are working smoothly.
Various parts of the terminal are currently undergoing trials using dummy passengers as Dubai Airports is keen to avoid the type of chaos that marred the opening of London Heathrow's Terminal 5 in March after its baggage system failed.
At one million square metres of space, the facility is nearly double the size of Heathrow's new terminal.
The baggage handling system at the new Dubai terminal is one of the largest in the world, Dubai Airports said. The length of the baggage belt is 90 km and it can handle 15,000 bags per hour.
The new terminal, which is underground, will also ease the congestion at Terminal 1. Emirates, which accounts for over 50 per cent of operations at Terminal 1, is expected to eventually shift its operations to the new terminal and other facilities being built as part of DIA's $4.5-billion expansion.
"Terminal 3 and the associated development represent a much needed expansion of Dubai's aviation infrastructure. The new facility will play an important role in supporting Dubai's economic progress, and reaffirm the city's image as an emerging global aviation hub," Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group, said in a statement yesterday.
Dubai Airports conducted the first big operational trial involving over 2,000 volunteers on August 9. As many as 3,000 volunteers will participate in a similar trial scheduled to be conducted later this month, and a similar number will take part in another major trial in Sep-tember.
"We want to make absolutely sure that all the systems and processes at Terminal 3 are working smoothly and that customers experience nothing short of world-class facilities and service when they use the new terminal. It is precisely for this reason that we have decided to make Terminal 3 fully operational in phases," Dubai Airports chief executive officer Paul Griffiths said.
DIA, used by 123 airlines linking 210 destinations, is operating beyond its capacity of 25 million passengers a year. It expects to handle 40 million passengers this year compared to about 34 million in 2007.
Modern facilities
Check-in counters: 220
Baggage belts: 14
Underground parking: 2,600 spaces
Contact gates: 26
Passenger loading bridges: 59
A380 gates: 5
By Shakir Husain
© Gulf News 2008
