"Gradual Opening" for Dubai Airport's New Terminal
Bosses at Dubai International Airport have said the airport's new terminal building will be opened gradually during this year - in a bid to avoid the chaos that marked the opening of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5.
Paul Griffiths, the Chief Executive Officer of the airport's operator Dubai Airports, said the airport's new facility - Terminal 3 - would be subject to a phased programme that will see flights added progressively, rather than a "big bang" approach where the terminal opened for business on one day.
The company believes the decision by the British Airports Authority (BAA) and British Airways to open T5 on one day backfired on the airline, because it meant rushing to complete work on the facility without the terminal being fully ready.
Griffiths said the decision to add flights at the $4.5 billion Terminal 3 on a gradual basis would enable this potential danger to be avoided.
Commenting that the experience seen at T5 - where thousands of passenger bags went missing after problems with the terminal's baggage system - was "sobering", Griffiths explained: ""It's a very serious thought that occurs to you when you see it elsewhere, that if you don't manage this in a thorough and professional way, it [the Heathrow T5 chaos] could be us".
Dubai Airport Capacity
Consequently, Griffiths said, Dubai Airports would never reveal a single opening date for the new Terminal 3 until all pre-opening test programmes had been completed.
"We'll exhaustively be testing the terminal systems throughout the summer...We continue to make sure we're putting large loads on it, week by week, improving reliability," he said, adding: "We'll put a few flights in bit by bit, in waves rather than a big bang".
Griffiths argued that it was a pitfall for companies to reveal opening dates of new facilities in advance.
He said: "When you look at airport terminals around the world and those that have been successful and unsuccessful, two things stand out: those that have been successful chose an opening date based on readiness of the facility, rather than announcing a launch date years in advance and sticking to it. A common thread...is that the successful openings have been done softly".
The opening of Dubai's new Terminal 3, which will be used exclusively by giant airline Emirates, is expected to nearly double the airport's capacity to handle 65 million passengers per year. It was claimed in January that Dubai was the "world's fastest growing" airport during 2007, handling 34 million passengers - a 19% increase on 2006 figures. Dubai Airports say the terminal will enable the airport to handle over 40 million passengers during 2008.
Middle East Airspace
The developments at Dubai are part of the wider efforts in the Middle East to increase airport capacity. Billions of dollars are being spent in the region, with the new six-runway Al-Maktoum International Airport in Dubai currently being constructed set to become the world's biggest airport on opening.
Despite the increase in capacity set to occur, Dubai Airports believe that there needs to be parallel changes to airspace organisation to ensure the benefits of the airport development are felt.
Griffiths argued that airspace in Dubai and the surrounding regions is still subject to significant restrictions in Dubai, and that these restrictions need to be removed if the expansion is to managed properly by the region.
He said: "There needs to be a major initiative in increasing airspace. They need to make sure this becomes a regional issue".
Source - Airport International's Middle East Correspondent
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