Abu Dhabi To Open Massive New $3B Airport Terminal
Abu Dhabi’s much-awaited new Midfield Terminal will open towards the end of 2023, according to a report by Momberger Airport Information.
The opening is most likely to take place on December 2 this year, which is also the UAE National Day, the report said.
Construction for the new terminal began in 2012 and was due for completion in 2017, however due to a few challenges, the construction was delayed.
In 2019, Construction Week reported that the project was complete over 97 percent citing tweets from Abu Dhabi Airports’ then-chief executive officer Bryan Thompson. According to the report, Thompson said that the company has been using technology to transform the digital journey for travellers from the time they leave home to arrive at their destination.
On completion and launch, Abu Dhabi’s Midfield Terminal Building can accommodate up to 11,000 passenger per hour, or about 45 million passengers annually.
Once opened, terminals 1 and 2 will be shut down permanently, while T3, the latest addition, will likely be mothballed, the Momberger Airport Information report said.
“Depending on traffic development, at one point it could be used again during peak times as a remote boarding lounge. It could also be developed into a standalone terminal including landside, for example, for budget carriers,” the report added.
Moreover, there is a “road tunnel leading from the midfield to the present terminal, which would facilitate easy connections for passengers. The midfield terminal can also be expanded with a satellite boarding concourse. Another tunnel, which can accommodate an APM is already present,” the report said.
According to a report by Reuters, the massive terminal scales about 700,000 square metres, and was initially planned for to support the growth of Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways.
Abu Dhabi’s Midfield Terminal is valued at 10.8 billion dirham ($2.94 billion), Reuters said.
In 2020, state news agency WAM reported that Abu Dhabi Airports has partnered with the Etihad Aviation Group, EAG, to begin training 17,000 employees to operate the new Midfield Airport Terminal at the Abu Dhabi Airport.
“The programme is supported by a campaign designed to capture the imagination of the airport community, ensuring that employees of all airport organisations are Familiarised, Inducted and Trained (FIT), to operate the new facility,” WAM said.
