Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) on Tuesday said its Midfield Terminal Building project will set the benchmark for all airports over the next 20 years.
The comments were made on the sidelines of this week’s ACI Exchange 2019 conference being held in Abu Dhabi.
Executives revealed that the project will encompass a massive 742,000 sq m floor area and will include 154 check-in counters, 12,150 sq m of food and beverage outlets, and 27,500 sq m of passenger lounges once completed.
Passengers transiting through Abu Dhabi can also pass the time shopping in high-end retail outlets covering 15,860 sq m, or rest in a hotel offering nearly 200 rooms.
Taking questions about the vast new facility were ADAC CEO Bryan Thompson, chief programs officer Sulaiman Al Siksek, and acting chief operations officer Ahmed Juma Al Shamsi.
“We are taking on the challenge of making the impersonal, sometimes mechanical experience of travel feel warm, human and wondrous again,” Thompson said.
“In so doing, we give travelers their first real taste of our home, not merely as a hub, but as a destination. The new terminal will be a point of pride for all Emiratis and a truly exceptional building that represents Abu Dhabi’s welcoming gift to travelers arriving in the emirate,” he added without giving a date for the project’s opening.
The extensive use of recycled and locally-sourced materials will reduce the carbon footprint of the MTB as well, said Al Siksek, adding that its design will cut water use in the terminal by almost half compared with similar scale buildings.
Al Siksek said: “The facility is being built with a positive passenger experience at its core. A stress-free process is being created at every step in the customer journey, with robust biometric, mobile, and automation technologies helping us to cooperate with security authorities for a truly seamless journey.”
The project is being built as Abu Dhabi expects to double international passenger numbers in the next 20 years.
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