The new emirates terminal, dubai
Emirates’ A380 inaugural flight to London flew out of the airline’s new dedicated US$4.5billion Terminal 3 in Dubai International Airport, from where all its 101-destination flights now depart.
The 1.3million square metre terminal can handle 4,000 passengers at any one time and will have an annual capacity of 43million when fully operational. It is an immaculate mass of gleaming marble,
glass and steel offering a spaciousness rarely seen in airports.
Located at Level -3, the check-in area has separate facilities for first, business and economy class passengers. As well as Express check-in facilities for those without baggage, first and business class each have six self-service kiosks for passengers with one piece of baggage plus 32 regular check-in desks, while economy has 36 self-service kiosks – 18 with and 18 without baggage facilities – and some 126 check-in desks.
After check-in, passport and security, passengers take high-speed automatic lifts up to the floor above for a 10,700m2 array of shops, restaurants and cafes, plus three Timeless spas and two Zen gardens.
From here, premium class passengers go up another floor to the 6,344m2 first-class lounge or 6,953m2 business class lounge where passenger capacities are 800 and 1,200 respectively.
Both lounges offer extensive individual seating areas and also offer a choice of four different cuisines. The first class lounge additionally has an a la carte restaurant with waiter service. There’s the usual selection of widescreen TVs, magazines and newspapers, including same-day UK nationals from around 7am each morning.
Of Concourse 2’s 26 gates, five are for the A380 offering two-level access to the aircraft. For first and business class passengers, access is on the upper level, directly from the lounges.
The next phase in Emirates’ expansion plans is for a new Concourse 3 which is scheduled to open in 2011. This will have 18 gates for the airline’s A380s. This year will also see the opening of Dubai’s new metro rail service which will offer a direct link into the city from the airport. Alan Orbell
