Passengers gave a thumbs up to the swanky new Terminal 3 of the Dubai International Airport, which opened its doors to commercial flights on Tuesday afternoon.
People on the first flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, gave raving reviews of the arrival procedures, from getting off the airplane to immigration formalities and getting their luggage.
The plane was scheduled to arrive at 3.55pm but arrived early at 3.27pm and some of the passengers were out in the terminal's arrival area less than 30 minutes after landing.
It was one of the 15 flights scheduled to operate from the terminal on Tuesday, the beginning of the phased transition of operations of Emirates to Terminal 3 from Terminal 1.
“It was perfect and couldn't be better,'' said Tayeb Alaoui, a Canadian.
Graeme Burquhart, a Scot on a business trip, was out in 30 minutes and pleased with the whole experience. “It's fantastic. No problems at all. Getting the baggage was quick,'' he said.
Badr Albusaidi, from Oman, travelled in business class and was given a rose upon arrival and greeted by airport staff. “Everything was smooth. The flower was a nice touch,'' he said.
The large waiting area was rather empty with a few people waiting for family and friends near the screens displaying flight information and large glass windows facing the arrival doors.
“The environment is nice,'' said Lubna Saif, an Indian woman waiting for family members an hour after the plane landed. “They're waiting for visa on arrival for my sister and brother-in-law.''
Sam Sayid, a Kenyan waiting for a friend, said: “We'll have to wait until it's busy to assess the terminal properly and see how they're coping with it, because currently it's not busy and everything is OK and clean.''
Lines of taxis were waiting outside the terminal for passengers, who were all given RTA bags with goodies. The flag-down fares for taxis are Dh20 and Dh25 for vans.
No public buses were available at the new terminal on Tuesday, but an RTA official said they will be in the next few days. A line of about 50 Emirates chauffeur-driven cars were waiting for passengers traveling in business and first class.
Parking costs Dh10 for the first 30 minutes; Dh25 after the first hour, Dh50 after three hours and Dh240 after 24 hours.
Smooth departure
Earlier, a beeline of more than 20 trolley escorts waited outside the terminal prepared to guide passengers in the departures area.
Mike Hawa, a Lebanese, came hours ahead of Emirates flight EK843 from Dubai to Doha, and was one of the 136 excited passengers on board the A330-200, the first flight to be flagged off from T3 on Tuesday afternoon at 2:15 pm.
“We timed our trip to coincide with the opening. We wanted to check it out and we're absolutely thrilled about the new terminal. We are looking forward to the duty-free shopping,'' said Hawa.
Immigration authorities headed by Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director General of Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD), visited the terminal's departure area on Tuesday.
“This terminal is a sign of the vision and development of Dubai,'' Al Merri told XPRESS.
The terminal promises to offer travelers world-class shopping arenas and lounges for relaxation.
Warm welcome
In a statement, Shaikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “Today our customers tasted the fruit of years of planning, investments and commitment. While we were quite confident of the robust systems and facilities, today was still a day of reckoning and we are delighted that our operations worked as planned. My warmest congratulations to all the stakeholders involved with Emirates Terminal 3, and particularly to the staff of the Emirates Group for their unflagging dedication and teamwork.''
Jamal Nasser Lootah, Executive Director for Industrial Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Economy and a Skywards Gold member was the first passenger to check in at First Class in the new terminal. He was presented with a commemorative certificate by Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, and flowers by an Emirates cabin crew member.
Khalida Mirza, also a Skywards Gold member and the first passenger at business class check-in, said: “I always prefer to fly Emirates. It has the best aircraft and the best service. It was a dream to travel from the new terminal and therefore I am here early to check-in.''
Tamatsu Tamaro was the first passenger at economy class check-in and he enjoyed complimentary access and facilities at the well-appointed Marhaba Lounge.
He said: “The facility is really big and spacious - I'm surprised and very impressed. The Marhaba service is excellent. I am happy to be Emirates' first customer at this impressive facility.''
Both passengers were welcomed with special commemorative certificates and flowers from Emirates' cabin crew members.
Services
The new terminal opened with staff from Emirates Airport Services and Dnata manning operations like concierge and porter services, check-in and information counters.
Passengers effortlessly used both the traditional check-in counters and the Self Service Kiosks dotting the terminal, an Emirates statement said.
The baggage system at check-in, including the kiosks that handle luggage, functioned equally smoothly.
Besides flight EK843, other flights scheduled for departure from Emirates Terminal 3 include EK845 to Doha, EK857 and EK859 to Kuwait, EK839 to Bahrain, and EK817 to Riyadh.
Emirates flight EK2926 Jeddah-Dubai was the first flight to arrive at Emirates Terminal 3 and other flights scheduled to arrive on the first day include EK844 from Doha, EK212 from Houston, EK202 from New York, EK840 from Bahrain, EK858 from Kuwait, EK262 from Sao Paulo and EK818 from Riyadh.
During the first phase, the terminal will facilitate flights to the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council countries (AGCC) and the Americas. Flights to destinations in the Middle East and Africa will also depart from Terminal 3 at a later stage.
The full transition of operations to Emirates Terminal 3 will be carried out in four phases to be completed in December.
New flights
From Wednesday, all the flights to and from the GCC and the Americas – 40 flights a day, around 15 per cent of the Emirates' total services – will depart from and arrive at the new terminal. The second phase, to be launched shortly, will include flights to the rest of the Middle East and Africa, increasing operations to 99 flights every day, 37 per cent of all flights.
Flights to Europe will take-off in the third phase, escalating operations to 168 daily flights or 60 per cent of all Emirates' services. The fourth and final phase will include flights to the Indian Subcontinent, East Asia and Australasia and bring the total to 269 flights every day.
Check your terminal
Dubai Airports and Emirates are carrying out awareness campaigns urging customers to check from which terminal they are flying in advance.
Emirates has advised customers to confirm their departure terminal by checking their flight bookings and tickets; alternatively they can call 04-214 44 44 or visit www.emirates.com.
