Dubai Airport Goes Underground

January 5, 2004

Dubai Airport Goes Underground
AVweb, U.S.

 A $4.1 billion underground terminal is the centerpiece of an ambitious 
expansion at Dubai International Airport. The new facility is being burrowed 
into the desert sand in what workers call the "mother of all holes." The 
excavation measures more than 1,000,000 square feet and when the terminal is 
finished, passengers will park their cars, check in and relax in restaurants 
and lounges 35 feet under the airport apron. Locally based Emirates Airlines 
will be the only tenant. Officials say the underground airport is not only more 
efficient, it's more pleasing to the eye. "The absence of above-ground 
structures ... offers significant aesthetic advantages allowing clear views of 
the concourse and apron," said spokeswoman Anita Mehra. Dubai is trying to 
establish itself as a sort of crossroads of the world and Emirates Airlines is 
driving the push with a fleet of long-range A340-500 jets capable of nonstop 
flights of 10,000 miles. Flights to Australia began last month and nonstop 
flights to the U.S. West Coast are also planned. 


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