Terminal 1
Terminal 1 at Dubai International Airport is served by around 100 airlines and can handle a total of 38 million passengers annually. The Terminal at Dubai Airport is also connected to the Sheikh Rashid Terminal known as Concourse C via a 300 metre long underground tunnel with travelators.
Dubai Airport’s Terminal 1 consists of 221 check in counters which has separate sections for business and First class passengers. Arrivals at Terminal 1 in Dubai Airport are handled by 14 baggage reclaim belts and 40 passport security control desks.
Terminal 1 at Dubai Airport was originally built to handle around 21 million passengers a year, however with the extreme increase of passenger numbers at the terminal, Dubai International Airport was initially forced to expand Terminal 1 to handle 38 million passengers a year with the opening of 28 remote gates.
Concourse C
Opened back in 2000, Concourse C is part of Terminal 1 and is known as the Sheikh Rashid Terminal. This was in fact the main concourse at Dubai Airport before the opening of Concourse B in Terminal 3. Concourse C at Dubai Airport consists of 50 gates, 28 air bridges and 22 remote gates which are located at the lower level of the Terminal. The gates are labelled C1 to C50.
Dubai Airports Concourse C includes over 17 cafes and restaurants and passengers can get something to eat or drink at the Food Court which can be found on the Departures Level. Concourse C at Dubai Airport is also home to a deluxe 5 star hotel with 6 junior suites and 2 royal suites, a business centre, a health club and a 5,400 Sq. metre Duty-Free shopping facility.
Other Terminal 1 and Concourse C facilities include a medical centre and prayer rooms. Although Emirates main operations now take place from Terminal 3, Emirates still maintain a presence in Concourse C where they operate out of 12 gates and where passengers can enjoy the Emirates first Class and Business Class Lounges at the Terminal. Other airlines who provide their own dedicated lounges at Terminal 1 Dubai Airport include British Airways, Gulf Air, KLM and Star Alliance.
Concourse D
According to Dubai Airport officials, plans for Terminal 4 had begun and extensions would be made to Terminal 3. These are required to bring the capacity of Dubai airport to 80–90 million passengers a year.
In May 2011, Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports revealed the Dubai Airport masterplan. It involves the construction of a Concourse D (previously Terminal 4). With a capacity of 15 million, it would bring the total capacity of the airport to 90 million passengers by 2018, an increase of 15 million. It will also see Emirates take over the operation at Concourse C, along with concourse A and B which it will already be operating. All remaining airlines will shift to Concourse D, or move to Al Maktoum International Airport.
Terminal 2
Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport is used by over 50 airlines and currently consists of 37 check-in counters. The Terminal was constructed in 1998 and has an annual passenger capacity of 10 million. Dubai Airports Terminal 2 building is mainly used by smaller airlines operating in the Persian Gulf region. Most flights from Terminal 2 at Dubai Airport operate to Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. In June 2009, Terminal 2 at Dubai Airport became Flydubai’s hub and plans for expansion of Terminal 2 were necessary due to the Terminal becoming overcrowded and extremely congested at times.
After undergoing a major refurbishment, Dubai Airports Terminal 2 building had the check-in and boarding facilities extended and introduced more dining options for passengers. The boarding area is now a more spacious seating area, with more natural light. Also, the introduction of the new open boarding gates now allow for several flights to board simultaneously which considerably improves both aircraft and passenger movements. There are 43 remote stands at the Terminal.
The Dubai duty-free shopping area in Terminal 2 covers 2,400 m2 (26,000 sq ft) in departures and 540 m2 (5,800 sq ft) in arrivals. The 3,600 m2 extension also consists of a larger arrivals hall.
Emirates Terminal 3 at Dubai Airport
We have a dedicated information page for Dubai Airport Terminal 3, see Emirates Terminal 3.
Dubai Airport Executive Flight Terminal
The Executive Flight Terminal at Dubai Airport is run by Executive Flight Services (EFS) which takes care of high class and royal passengers that often travel through Dubai International Airport. The service was shaped in accordance with the e-government initiative taken by the Rulers Court. Dubai Executive Flight Services is Managed by Mr.Ali Binhendi who is the Director of the Dubai Executive Flight Terminal. EFS Maintained many hubs and destinations in the last 10 years, adding an executive taste to Signature Dubai Airport Passengers.
The Dubai Airport Executive flights Terminal opened on 19th November 2008 and caters to all famous figures including sport stars, businessmen and large corporate entities. The Executive Flight Terminal is located close to Terminal 2 and includes a 5,500 sq metre 2 story main building, a 3,700 sq metre hangar, a 3,700 sq metre ramp area for aircraft parking and a special VIP car park for long term parking. The new facility makes EFC the largest dedicated business aviation terminal in the Middle East.
The Executive Terminal also has its own dedicated immigration and customs areas, a Dubai Duty Free outlet, a fully equipped business/conference centre, 8 luxury private lounges and a limousine service between the aircraft and the Terminal building. Passengers arriving into the Executive Flight Terminal can also book dedicated VIP cars.
Cargo Mega Terminal at Dubai Airport
The cargo village at Dubai International Airport is one of the world’s largest and most central cargo hubs. The majority of all cargo for Asia and Africa passes through the cargo terminal facility at Dubai Airport.
Forecasts for cargo growth predicted that additional major cargo handling facilities were needed to satisfy demands so plans were put in place to build the 1st stage of the Cargo Mega Terminal which will have the ability to handle 3 million tons of freight by 2018.
Phase 1 of the cargo mega terminal was finished by 2004 and the next phase of expansion was scheduled for completion in late 2007. Presently the airport has a cargo capacity of 2.1 million tonnes which will be expanded to handle 3 million.
Accommodating the Airbus A380 at Dubai Airport
With the Dubai based Emirates Airline being one of the launch customers for the Airbus A380 and also the largest customer, Dubai International Airport needed to expand its existing facilities to accommodate the huge aircraft. The Department of Civil Aviation spent $120 million in upgrading 2 of its Terminals and airport infrastructure, including new air-bridges, new finger piers, enlarged gate hold-rooms and runway, plus extended baggage belt carousels from the normal 70 to 90 metres.
Dubai International Airport is also investing $3.5 billion into the new Concourse 3 Building which will be exclusively for handling Emirates Airlines A380’s.
Even though the Boeing 747-400s carry fewer passengers, Dubai Airport does not expect embarking and disembarking passengers and baggage from the A380 to take any longer once the new carousels are in place. On 16th July 2008, Dubai International Airport unveiled the first of 2 specially-built gates capable of handling the giant jumbo jet. Costing $10 million, the gates or ‘fingers’ allow passengers to get on the upper cabin of the new 555-seater aircraft directly from the gate hold rooms.
The hold rooms themselves at Dubai Airport have been enlarged and constructed to cater for the larger number of passengers travelling on the A380’s. Beside the 2 new gates at Terminal 1, 5 more A380 capable gates were opened at concourse 3 at Dubai International Airport on 14th October 2008.