Dubai Airports has begun the phased opening of Concourse A, the world’s first A380 facility at Dubai International’s Terminal 3, with four of its 20 contact gates being brought into operation on January 2nd.

 

Concourse A is part of the Terminal 3 complex exclusively built for the use of Emirates airline, and will provide Dubai International’s the ‘much needed room’ as its passenger traffic approaches full capacity.

 

Dubai International’s annual passenger capacity will increase from 60 million to 75 million when Concourse A is fully operational, while traffic for 2012 is expected to reach 57 million.

 

The EK 003 scheduled for departure at 1430hrs, on 2 January, from Dubai to Heathrow London became Concourse A’s first flight, ushering in a new era in Dubai’s aviation history.

 

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said, “Just as we did with what turned out to be a flawless opening of Terminal 3 and Concourse B in 2008 – which was a much larger and more complex exercise involving the complete transfer of Emirates airline’s operations to the new facility – we are opening Concourse A in stages with more gates coming online in each successive phase.

 

[Left: Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, makes a presentation at November’s MEDFA conference]

 

“We believe that this approach of gradual transition will enable us and all our partners to ensure smooth operations and help us to deliver on our customer service commitment.”

 

He added that as the world’s first A380 facility Concourse A is a huge achievement for Dubai Airports and its partners and one of the highlights of Dubai’s ongoing ambition to establish the world’s leading aviation hub.