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Later this month The Moodie Report will publish a special book dedicated to the new A380-specific Concourse A |
UAE. Dubai Airports and Emirates today (Sunday) completed the phased launch of Concourse A – the home of the A380 and the world’s first purpose-built facility for the super-sized aircraft – at Dubai International Airport.
All 20 A380 capable contact gates and Emirates’ lFirst Class and Business Class lounges, which comprise 29,000sq m of the facility, are now fully operational after a five-week-long phased opening.
During the first month of operations following its inaugural flight on 2 January, Concourse A has handled 461,972 pieces of luggage carried on over 2,450 flights serving 589,234 passengers.
“The full opening of Concourse A is a significant milestone and achievement in supporting and enabling the continued growth of Emirates, and our focus and commitment to being a leader in offering our customers innovative products and services that provides them with an unsurpassed travel experience,” said Emirates Airline President Tim Clark.
“With a current fleet of 31 A380s and a further 59 on order, Emirates is the largest operator of this aircraft in the world, and it is only fitting that we have a world-class facility that meets this need and represents our leadership in this regard.”
Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said: “Much like the opening of Terminal 3 in 2008, the phase in of Concourse A has resulted in the seamless introduction of world-class infrastructure that responds to the rapid growth of Emirates and caters to the needs of its discerning and truly global customer base.
“Concourse A is a vital element of our US$7.8 billion investment in the continued expansion of Dubai International, which will see it become the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic by the end of 2015.”
Concourse A, , is part of the Terminal 3 complex built for the use of Emirates, serving its network of 21 A380 destinations across Europe, North America, Australia and Asia.
With 11 floors and a total built-up area of 528,000sq m, Concourse A is connected to Concourse B and Terminal 3 via an underground train. Unlike any other airport facility in the world, the First Class and Business Class lounges have dedicated floors that offer direct access to A380 aircraft boarding gates.
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Concourse A: “Ushering in a new era in Dubai’s aviation history” |
The lounges, which extend the entire length of the concourse, are the largest in the world and offer fine dining with showcase kitchens, conference rooms, business centres, a Timeless Spa, entertainment zones, dedicated smoking areas as well as children’s play areas. The First Class lounge passengers also have the added convenience of a dedicated Dubai Duty Free shopping area and a Le Clos wine cellar.
Concourse A also offers an enhanced duty free shopping and dining experience featuring a wide variety of high-quality and globally recognised food & beverage brands. These include Paul, Umaizushi Bistro, Picnic, Wafi Gourmet, Carluccio’s, Cho Gao, Pulp Juice Bar, McDonalds and McCafe, Shake Shack, Costa Metropolitan, Starbucks, Le Pain Quotidien, Giraffe, Heineken Lounge, Jack’s Bar & Grill and the Moët & Chandon Champagne Bar.
Concourse A boosts capacity at Dubai International from 60 million to 75 million passengers per year. It is an integral part of Dubai Airports’ US$7.8 billion Strategic Plan 2020 which will increase airport capacity to 90 million by 2018.
NOTE: The Moodie Report is publishing a special book later this month to celebrate the opening of Concourse A. It includes interviews with senior Dubai Airports management as well as with Dubai Duty Free, Emirates Leisure Retail and other key business partners. To advertise in this landmark publication, commissioned by Dubai Airports, please contact Helen.Pawson@TheMoodieReport.com
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Above and below: The new facility includes an extensive retail and food & beverage offer |
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The state-of-the-art facilities underline Dubai Airports’ determination to create the world’s leading aviation hub |
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For the first time, Dubai International Airport features a sky train to deliver passengers to the new Concourse |
