In pictures: A sneak peek at Dubai's new A380 concourse
More than 1,000 volunteers were given a sneak preview of Dubai Airport’s new A380 concourse as they took part in the first operational trial of the new facility involving the public.
Saturday’s test-drive was intended to check the readiness of the staff, systems and procedures. It followed a number of preliminary exercises involving airport employees.
They tested the effectiveness of signs, travelled on the train from Terminal 3 to the concourse, browsed in shops and sampled restaurants.
The trial was designed to detect flaws or problems, improve customer service and enable staff to become more familiar with the new building
The new building, officially known as Concourse A, is part of the Terminal 3 complex used exclusively by Emirates Airline.
It is the world’s first facility purpose-built for the A380 superjumbo and will increase the airport’s capacity from 60 million to 75 million passengers per year.
The train line from Terminal 3 to the concourse. One volunteer described the train on Twitter as “lovely” and said Dubai had given the A380 “one beautiful new home”.
“Before opening it is imperative that we are diligent in testing every aspect of the passenger experience across the new facility,” said Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports.
Concourse A is due to open early next year.
The new building, officially known as Concourse A, is part of the Terminal 3 complex used exclusively by Emirates Airline.
