Mitsubishi wins Dubai airport deal

A consortium that includes Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Corporation has won a Dh91 million ($25 million) contract.

The deal is for the construction and installation of the automated people mover system at Dubai International Airport, a statement from Mitsubishi said.

A contract for the AX132 package is expected to be signed between the consortium and the Department of Civil Aviation, which will soon be overseeing a Dh15 billion ($4.1 billion) expansion of the airport.

This will be the first people mover of its kind to be built in the Middle East and will be completed within three and-a-half years, with delivery scheduled for early 2008.

Under the terms of the package, the consortium will construct, supply, install and commission 18 driverless, rubber–tired APM vehicles, a power supply and control system and associated facilities for smooth movement of passengers between Concourses 2 and 3, covering a distance of 1.3km.

Each APM vehicle measuring 11 metres in length, will have a capacity to ferry 100 passengers at a time.

The people mover at Dubai International Airport will be installed in the underground level of the terminal. "This is a turnkey project involving the design, engineering, manufacturing, installation, testing and commissioning of the project," a Mitsubishi spokesman told Gulf News yesterday.

"The consortium will supply the entire system, including vehicles, signalling and communication systems. The contract also includes a clause offering an option of a four-year operation and maintenance agreement." Related stories on P40