Dubai: Concourse 3 of the Dubai International Airport goes on its first public trial run on Saturday, for possible opening in the first quarter of 2013, a top official said.
“We are on track for the opening of Concourse 3 in the first quarter of next year as we start its first public trial run on Saturday,” Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airport’s Chief Executive Officer, told Gulf News on the sidelines of the Middle East Business Aviation exhibition that got underway at the Al Maktoum International Airport (AMIA) on Tuesday.
Built at a cost of $3.5 billion (Dh12.8 billion), Concourse 3 at Dubai International Airport will be connected to the two major public levels of Terminal 3 via an automated people mover (APM).
This will be in addition to the vehicular and baggage handling system utility tunnels for further transfer. Dubai International Airport’s Concourse 3 is 645 metres long, 90 metres wide and 42 metres high in the centre from the apron level.
Concourse 3 will accommodate 20 aircraft stands, of which 18 will be exclusively for use by the Airbus A380-800s, and the remaining two for the Boeing 777s.
With its inauguration, the concourse will raise Dubai International’s passenger handling capacity to 75 million, at a time when the airport traffic is on track to cross 57 million this year. Dubai Airports has recruited a large number of volunteers for the trial run.
The Dubai Government is also investing Dh28 billion in the fourth phase expansion of Dubai International that will raise its capacity to 90 million by 2018.
He said funding is not an issue for the airport expansion. “If we need money, the Government’s Department of Finance will support us. Any need of financing – be it issuing a bond or borrowing from lenders – would be done through the Department of Finance,” he said.
“Aviation is a major contributor to Dubai’s economy and represents 28 per cent of Dubai’s GDP. Dubai government has always invested in the aviation infrastructure ahead of need.”
Dubai Duty Free has already raised $1.7 billion (Dh6.2 billion) to part fund its expansion.
AMIA
Meanwhile, Dubai Airports is trying to convince airlines to shift passenger and business jet flights from Dubai International Airport to Al Maktoum International Airport (AMIA), the centrepiece of the 140-kilometre, Dh120 billion Dubai Airport Central mega airport city in Jebel Ali that is ready to take off.
Griffiths said his organisation is considering a package of incentives for airlines to motivate them to shift services, while there are talks of shuttling transit passengers through a helicopter service between the two airports.
“We are in negotiations with a number of airlines to shift passenger flights to Al Maktoum International,” Griffiths said. “However, since we have capacity left at Dubai International, they are not motivated strongly to move to AMIA.
“Once the new concourse opens next year, we will see how things go. However, we are confident in opening passenger services at AMIA.”
Dubai World Central is also in talks to private operators to develop fixed-base operation (FBO) to facilitate business jet flights from AMIA as the airport terminal has been geared up to serve the growing sector.
AMIA, which has been in operation for the last few years, is currently used by freight operators.
