Dubai Airport is quickly establishing itself as the aviation and cargo centre of the Middle East – a status supported by figures ranking it as the world’s fastest growing airport in 2007 in terms of international passenger throughput (an increase of 19.31%). Last year’s throughput was 34.34 million passengers, significantly more than the projected 33 million.
This growth was preceded by two decades of similar development. Over the last 10 years, passenger throughput has increased by 125%, going from 4.3 million in 1988 to reach 9.7 million in 1998. Connected to over 205 destinations across six continents and through 120 airlines, Dubai International has grown at an average of over 15% per year since 2002 and accounts for 27% of all passenger and aircraft movement in the Middle East and Africa region. The opening of the A380 capable Terminal 3, Concourse 2 and Concourse 3 – another A380 specific facility – by the end of 2009, will triple the airport’s total capacity to 75 million passengers.
Griffiths: “Terminal 3 is unique. Firstly, it’s one million square metres – twice the size of Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Secondly, the whole terminal has been built underground, yet it feels like a large cathedral. Thirdly, it is the first terminal in the world that has been designed specifically for the A380.”
Terminal 3 – ‘unique’
“Terminal 3 is a unique development, not only for the airport, but on an international basis as well. Firstly, Terminal 3 is one million square metres, which makes it twice the size of Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Secondly, the whole terminal has been built underground, yet the design ensures that the high ceilings make it feel like a large cathedral. Thirdly, Terminal 3 is the world’s first terminal that has been designed specifically for the A380. This clearly demonstrates our commitment in supporting Dubai’s international airline, Emirates, and bringing the super jumbos to the airport,” said Griffiths.
Together with the two new concourses, the terminal will be capable of processing 25 A380 arrivals simultaneously, which considering Emirates has 55 A380s on order, is vital for the airline’s hub. Griffiths said: “The agenda is pretty much dictated by Emirates.”
Located beneath the taxiway area and directly linked with Concourse 2, Terminal 3 incorporates a simplified passenger flow (inbound and outbound) with minimal walking distances. Terminal 3 is a multi-level underground structure measuring 300m x 350m, with first class lounges and dedicated counters, a variety of high quality restaurants, 180 check-in counters and 2,600 underground parking spaces. The departures and arrivals halls within the terminal are located 10m below the apron and taxiways. Passenger orientation is heightened by maintaining visual contact with the landside through a fully glazed facade at one end and Concourse 2, with its bright naturally lit atrium, at the other. Griffiths considers Terminal 3 “a triumph of design”.
Dubai: triple purpose
“Considering the growth rates, both Dubai Airport and Emirates Airline are clearly a massive boost to the region’s economy. The new terminal will have a significant and positive impact of further promoting Dubai Airport for three purposes: as a hub, a destination and a place to do business,” said Griffiths.
When questioned over the validity of passenger forecasts – 60 million passengers by 2010 – Griffiths replied: “Most emphatically, yes. In fact, I think that we will be beyond that and reaching the design capacity of the Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport in Jebel Ali, which is set to become the world’s largest international airport by the end of 2020.”
Dubai’s developmental policy is a key driver to its ream of recent project successes, explained Griffiths. “British airport developments are obsessed with democratic principles, whereas Dubai has a single minded vision of purpose to make the region a showcase. Importantly, they recognise that the economic benefits provided by airports are a key factor to development. The space and geographical location of Dubai is also an important benefit, which is propelling the regions development,” he said.
Creating a premium passenger experience
Trolley Management – Dubai International Airport
To meet the future increasing demands for passenger service and increased efficiency, Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport is equipped with the Lyngsoe Trolley Management System. This is designed to increase the availability of trolleys and optimise the trolley utilisation, hence improving passenger satisfaction in the airport. The challenge for Dubai International Airport is to manage the availability of trolleys. They must be available at the right time and at the right location for supreme passenger service. Implementation includes at present advanced server set, workstations, interface to the Flight Information System and Building Management System with 4,000 trolleys, each with RFID tags and 60 RFID read points.
The key benefits to Dubai International Airport are said to include: Fewer man-hours required – no manual search for trolleys; reduced asset investment – no overstocking of trolleys; forecast of trolley requirements in each area; and optimised service level for passengers.
The infrastructural demands derived from building a million square metre terminal underground, in an excessively busy and fully operational airport environment, was a significant challenge, said Griffiths. “I do think that the passenger experience will be worth the design difficulties, which arose throughout the project. The structure had to be both strong enough to support 14 aircraft and freight operations, and also be a pleasant terminal environment for passengers. On completion, I think that the design of the terminal is excellent and has real character with a sense of space and grandeur.”
To enable more tailored services, First/Business class and economy class have been strictly differentiated within the terminal. First/Business class, for example, is equipped with specially designed automated check-in services and gates directly to the upper class area of the A380s, while the latter is provided for with more ‘group areas’.
Griffiths said: “By separating the class of passengers, we are able to provide each group with enhanced services which are tailored to their needs. It is a novel scheme as passengers have not being able to do this before.”
In the first quarter of this year, Dubai Duty Free (DDF) reported sales up 31% to $266m (€170m), with perfume leading the mix accounting for 14% ($37m) of the total and sales of the category rising by an impressive 30% over the corresponding quarter last year.
Following a ream of accolades – including the 2008 ‘Best Duty Free Shops’ award from the magazine Global Traveler – Dubai Airport has made particular effort to ensure that the premium retail standard is maintained in the new terminal. Accordingly, Dubai Duty Free increased its staffing levels from 2,000 to 3,000 in the first quarter of this year, as the operation gears up for the opening of Concourse 2 and Terminal 3, which in total will result in an additional 8,000sqm of retail space. In keeping with the airport’s world-class status and to ensure optimum efficiency, modern technology has been incorporated into the terminal, including RFID baggage tags, self-service check-in and self-service baggage check, and an e-gate system adopted by Emirates.
