Shaikh Mohammed inspects Emirates new terminal

He was accompanied by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chief Executive of Emirates Group.

The Dh 12 billion new terminal, which is set to officially open in January 2013, will have an annual capacity of 19 million passengers.

Shaikh Mohammed began his tour in concourse 2 where he inspected the counters of the General Department of Residency and Foreigners Affairs. He directed employees there to deal with passengers nicely and kindly. At the passengers check gate Shaikh Mohammed ordered that security people deal with passengers in a civilised manner and pay them due respect.

After that Shaikh Mohammed and the accompanying officials headed for the new terminal through the internal metro which connects the old terminal with the new one at a length of one and a half kilometer on both sides with capacity of 6000passengers per hour. Shaikh Mohammed hailed the idea of the internal metro.

Entering the new terminal, which is 645 meter long and 90 meter wide and covers an area of 528 square meters, Shaikh Mohammed inspected the arrival and departure lounges. The lounges accommodate 20 A-380 Aircrafts.

The new terminal is partially an underground structure and has five gates for remote stands, comprising the Automated People Mover for both arriving and departing and extends above the ground under a metal shell to accommodate 20 aircrafts; the lower and upper levels of the concourse 3 are connected by means of a special vertical transportation system (Sky Train).

Shaikh Mohammed also inspected the designs for the First and Business Class Lounges as well as the two four and five stars hotels which include about 200 rooms in addition to a health club and a Business centre.

At the luggage section, Shaikh Mohammed familiarised himself with the latest technology used in transporting and uploading luggage via an Automated People Mover in addition to the vehicular and baggage handling system.

Before leaving the place, Shaikh Mohammed visited terminal 2 arrivals section where he was briefed by Director General of the General Department of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri on the latest in using e-gates system which has been introduced to speed up and simplify the immigration process at entry and exit points. In his presentation, Al Marri also touched on the smart gates for people of special need.

Shaikh Mohammed hailed the General Department of Residency and Foreigners Affairs’ initiatives, urging Al Marri to exert all possible efforts to achieve 100% passengers’ satisfaction which he considers the mirror tjhat reflects the country’s culture.

Also accompanying Shaikh Mohammed on his inspection tour were Shaikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum , Director of Dubai Ruler’s Court Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shibani, Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office Ahmad Abdullah Al Shaikh, Dubai Director of Protocol and Hospitality Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Dubai World Central’s Executive Chairman Khalifa Al Zaffin, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President Airport Services Mohammed Mattar and other senior officials.