Home Transport Aviation Concourse A Opens At Dubai International EK003, which took off at 1439 from Dubai to London Heathrow, became Concourse A’s first flight. by Dominic Ellis January 2, 2013 Concourse A, the world’s first A380 facility at Dubai International’s Terminal 3, has opened its doors with four of its 20 contact gates operational today. EK003, which took off at 1439 from Dubai to London Heathrow, became Concourse A’s first flight. Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said the concourse will be opened in stages to ensure a gradual transition. A key element of the $7.8 billion Strategic Plan 2020, Concourse A is part of the Terminal 3 complex exclusively built for the use of Emirates – although it is understood that new partner Qantas will also use the Concourse when it switches its hub from Singapore to Dubai from April. It provides the airport with much-needed room as its traffic grows and Emirates continues to receive more A380s and add frequencies (double-daily services to New York and Paris began yesterday). Dubai International’s annual passenger capacity will increase from 60 million to 75 million when Concourse A is fully operational. To see a gallery of the new concourse, click here. 0 Comments