$1.2 billion Concourse D opens at Dubai International Airport

The $1.2 billion concourse, which will be home to 70 international airlines, opened this morning with the arrival of a British Airways’ flight 105 from London - welcomed with a customary water salute.

BA105 arrives at Concourse D this morning The opening follows months of intensive testing and a successful operational trial involving 2,000 members of the public earlier this month. “Aside from its many customer-centric features, Concourse D continues our legacy of providing timely capacity,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. “Today we also announce our 2016 forecast which projects 85 million passengers will visit Dubai International this year. With the addition of Concourse D, Dubai International is getting both bigger and better.”

Dubai Airport's new Concourse D The new concourse is designed around a central atrium and is linked to Terminal 1 via an airport train that can transport 300 passengers per trip. Short distances to gates in the new concourse allow travellers to board directly from the waiting area. Features of the new concourse include 7,000m2 of duty free, a variety of restaurants and shops, as well as wellbeing concepts ‘Be Relax’ and the popular ‘SnoozeCubes’. It also features a total of nine lounges, including a new British Airways lounge for Club World (business class) and First customers, a new Al Majlis lounge, two Dubai International Hotel lounges and a Marhaba VIP lounge.

British Airways' new lounge at DXB's Concourse D Out on the tarmac, Concourse D provides 21 contact stands, of which four will be able to accommodate Airbus A380 or Boeing 747 aircraft, and 11 remote stands with a capacity for 18 million passengers. British Airways and Royal Jordanian will operate from Concourse D from today, with the remainder phasing in operations over the next several weeks, Dubai Airports said.

Dubai Airport's new Concourse D with 7,000m2 of duty free