The new Midfield Terminal Building (MTB) at Abu Dhabi International Airport has been approved by the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi.
The terminal boasts 65 contact stands and is expected to cater for 30 million passengers annually, a significant proportion of whom will be transferring between flights.
The building comprises a reinforced concrete podium and multi-level basement with 69,000 tonnes of superstructure steelwork forming the large span roof structure over the central space and piers.
The MTB covers 742,000 square metres and the global hub will include 154 check-in counters, 12,150 square metres of food and beverage outlets, 27,500 square metres of passenger lounges, a transit hotel with almost 200 rooms, and a high-end retail outlet covering 15,860 square metres.
The executive team of Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) say that MTB – whose principal user will be Etihad Airways – will set the benchmark for all airports over the next 20 years.
ADAC Chief Executive Officer Bryan Thompson said: “We are taking on the challenge of making the impersonal, sometimes mechanical experience of travel feel warm, human and wondrous again. In so doing, we give travellers 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 travellers arriving in the emirate.”
