Prepare for take off: Abu Dhabi's Terminal A to open on November 1
E for exciting expansions up ahead…
A for Terminal A – Abu Dhabi International Airport’s brand new terminal, which is all set to welcome passengers on November 1. The expansion will begin fully-fledged operations soon, contributing to a serious bump in the passenger capacity of the airport.
Ahead of the public opening, Etihad’s ceremonial flight will take place on October 31. The transition of departure scheduling will happen in three phases over two weeks. Post Etihad’s inaugural flight, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and 15 other international airlines will fly out of the new space from November 1. From November 9, Etihad Airways will operate 16 daily flights. The transition to the new base will be complete on November 14, including Air Arabia Abu Dhabi and 10 other airlines. From November 14, all 28 airlines will be operating from the new terminal.
As the date of opening approaches, the readiness trials will be in full swing till October 17, involving 11,000 volunteers participating in the process. The simulations will stress-test end-to-end passenger journeys to ensure systems, equipment, staff and procedures in key operating areas such as check-in, baggage, security screening, immigration and boarding, are all operating as they’re supposed to be. The tests will be carried out by Abu Dhabi Airports staff members, students, families and stakeholders from Abu Dhabi’s aviation community.
They won’t be the first though, Tom Cruise and his rag-tag gang of IMFers used the terminal for a string of crucial scenes in the most recent franchise outing, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. And if you’ve scene it, you’ll probably agree, that was some particularly stressful testing going on right there.
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The more you know
Terminal A, more popularly known as Midfield Terminal, will cover a total area of 742,000 square metres – and a huge additional space to the existing facility’s passenger and cargo capacities. Once inaugurated, Terminal A will be able to accommodate a dizzying 45 million passengers annually, 11,000 travellers per hour and operate 79 big birds at once.
Everything in this building will be state-of-the-art, boasting all the latest technology and digitised processes such as interconnected biometric systems, seamless, digitised journeys for travellers from start to finish, from immigration to baggage-handling, security, boarding – the complete deal.
The terminal will also offer a premium travel experience in terms of lifestyle and hospitality, with passenger lounges, relaxation areas and spas, as well as a total of 163 retail and dining outlets.
We’re ready to take off!
Images: Supplied