Upgrade: 6,000 volunteers test the Grand Station in Abu Dhabi

Nearly three months before the opening, about 1,000 volunteers and airport employees trained on all standard operations at BER in 2020. From check-in to security to boarding and disembarking. The trial run was part of the Orat (Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer) procedure.

In the UAE, everything is always a little bigger, so last week 6,000 volunteers put the massive new terminal building at Abu Dhabi Airport into place, the portal writes. National news.

The opening has been postponed several times

It’s about time, because the new station is scheduled to go online as Station A at the beginning of November. Similar to BER, there were also several delays in Abu Dhabi. The new core of the airport was originally scheduled to open in the summer of 2017 after just five years of construction.

But all planned commissioning failed. Nearly three weeks ago it was announced that Building A would open its doors at the beginning of November, six years later than originally scheduled.

45 million passengers annually

The dimensions are enormous. With an area of ​​742 thousand square metres, it is one of the largest airport terminals in the world. The station building should be visible with the naked eye from a distance of 1.5 km. The ceiling height at the highest point is 52 metres.

The planned capacity is 45 million passengers annually. It should be possible to handle up to 11,000 passengers and 79 aircraft simultaneously per hour. The first airlines to move to the new gateway to Abu Dhabi are: Etihad Airways, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi.

The union wants to grow

In addition to using sustainable building materials, the plant has an integrated solar photovoltaic system that generates three megawatts of electricity, saving approximately 5,300 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

The new terminal is also important for Etihad Airways, whose president Antonualdo Neves announced in May this year that his airline wants to move forward and grow again. Passenger numbers are expected to triple to 30 million by 2030. The fleet will also grow to 150 aircraft.

The long-awaited Station A

It’s another change in strategy. Until 2018, Etihad Airways, like the two other airlines in the region, Emirates and Qatar Airways, followed a strategy of being a hub for the whole world. Due to loss-making acquisitions such as Air Berlin and Jet Airways, Etihad Airways was forced to produce small amounts of bread and focus on traffic to and from Abu Dhabi. This is the end of the matter. Perhaps the new station offers the best options.