São Paulo – Inauguration of the expansion of terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport is scheduled for the first quarter of 2013. The new wing should receive just the Airbus A380, the largest aircraft in the world, operated by Emirates. The new wing will have a capacity for 15 million passengers a year.
Dubai Airports, the company that manages the city’s airports, stated that between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs should be created after the works, when the wing is operating. The annex to terminal 3 will only serve Emirates, which answers to over 60% of the passengers who travel through Dubai’s airport.
The A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world. With two floors, it may transport up to 517 passengers. Emirates is the largest operator of this model aircraft. The company has over 80 aeroplanes of the model on order and should end 2012 operating 31.
The wing solely for A380 passengers will have 20 departure gates and VIP wings for first class and executive class passengers. These clients may enter the aircraft directly, without crossing the boarding gates. It will also have four- and five-star hotels, a shopping centre with 40 shops and will be connected to Terminal 2 and to the rest of Terminal 3 with a metro line.
Dubai International Airport should end 2012 having served 57 million passengers and 2013 with 63 million. By 2020, the passenger throughput should reach 90 million.
*Translated by Mark Ament
