Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) will be a city within a city once it is completed. It will have a transportation system, mini-forests, green zones, an entertainment hub, and other amenities like food, beverage, and retail.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, revealed the first photographs of the new passenger terminal in a tweet late last month.
On Tuesday, Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP), which is in charge of designing the new passenger terminal at DWC, provided visitors to the ongoing 23rd Airport Show with a more detailed preview of how the world’s largest airport would look.
One of the DWC’s most prominent features is an elevated rail or automated people mover (APM) system that will transport passengers between terminals through an indoor tropical forest. There are also giant LED screens that show different landscapes and marine habitats.
“DWC is designed to give passengers comfort, recreation, and mobility at the highest level,” noted DAEP in its two-and-half-minute video.
Well-connected
According to DAEP, DWC is designed to combine tradition, culture, and innovation. DWC will be well-connected to the rest of Dubai and the UAE via land and air, with a high-speed rail (Etihad Rail), a new Metro line, an air taxi, and self-driving cars.
Travelers can check in their luggage at a hotel, city desk, or from home before arriving at the airport.
The new airport is accessible via multi-level highways, and when passengers arrive at the curbside drop-off zone, they will be greeted by the world’s largest sun canopy.
World’s largest canopy
Inside the terminal, passengers will be greeted by a vast green zone symbolizing Dubai’s zero-carbon ambition. Their journey will begin with large LED screens welcoming them with a variety of designs, including a giant projection of an indoor aquarium.
Trees will line the passenger terminals. There will be extensive green areas, including an indoor tropical garden that passengers will find relaxing.
Boarding gates have generous open spaces, and DWC will have 400 aircraft gates and five parallel runways spread across 70 square kilometers.
Large areas are also reserved for shops, restaurants, entertainment, and relaxation. The upper level will feature first and business-class lounges, while boarding gates will be lined along the piers, allowing for easy access to the aircraft via multiple boarding bridges.
Automated face recognition
After completion, DWC will be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport (DXB). The new airport will also use technologies that have never been used in the aviation industry, such as modern face recognition, to avoid long lines at departure gates.
The west terminal building will accommodate both origin and destination passengers, with separate halls for first, business, and economy classes.
At the gates, the 14-station APM will seamlessly transport passengers from terminals to concourses and between concourses, allowing transferring passengers to reach connecting flights via the shortest and smoothest route.
All transfers will be guided by intuitive and personalized wayfinding, with touchless points at security gates.
Underground baggage network
Baggage will be processed through an underground network of galleries and batch centers capable of handling up to 30,000 bags per hour.
A stringent security and sorting process will be implemented, utilizing automated guided vehicles and advanced screening techniques. Bags will then be delivered directly to the aircraft stands via pop-up hatches, avoiding interference with ground handling operations on the airfield.
There will also be automated bots to drop off luggage at the curb, as well as trackable systems for consistent baggage collection and navigation.
Four simultaneous aircraft approaches
There will be five parallel runways for code F aircraft (heavier and longer, such as the B747-800 and A-380), four of which will be separated by more than 1,500 meters, allowing for up to four simultaneous parallel aircraft approaches.
The 4.5-kilometer runways will be equipped with the most advanced aircraft guidance system. Rapid exits, double taxiways, and large ground service equipment roads will be installed to improve safety and operational efficiency. A second control tower will be constructed in the center of the airfield.
Environmental standards
According to the DAEP, DWC operations will be entirely sustainable. The new airport’s terminals and concourses will run entirely on renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic solar panels. Solar glazing will be used to control the energy inputs of high-performance insulated buildings. The recycling strategy, developed in collaboration with the Dubai Municipality, will result in zero waste ending up in landfills. Water consumption will be reduced by approximately 70% due to efficient appliances, greywater treatment plants, condensation, and rainwater collection.
Estimated cost
Construction on the new passenger terminal will begin immediately, with a cost of Dh128 billion. DWC is expected to handle nearly 260 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo annually.
DAEP noted it “will consistently meet growing passenger demands ahead of projections while steadily coming closer to making Dubai the aviation capital of the world.”
