Abu Dhabi Airports is conducting its largest live trial and testing exercise to date ahead of the opening of the new Terminal A in November.
More than 6,000 volunteers were selected to participate in the trials. Abu Dhabi Airports said that the large-scale testing exercises of Terminal A will continue throughout September and October.
The volunteers include Abu Dhabi Airports staff members, and volunteers including students, families and stakeholders from the aviation ecosystem.
The operational trials involved simulations designed to stress-test equipment, staff and procedures in key operating areas.
The systems and processes tested included check-in and baggage, security screening, boarding gates, immigration and customs.
At immigration, volunteers tested the speed and accuracy of the process for passengers, fine-tuning document and customs inspections.
Meanwhile, at boarding and departure, tests included scanning the boarding passes of volunteers “and assessing procedural preparedness to communicate changes in flight information.”
Elena Sorlini, managing director and interim CEO at Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “Our commitment to excellence has driven our journey to prepare for Terminal A’s opening, as we are focused on conducting extensive large-scale assessments to ensure the speed, efficiency and delivery of operations.
“I would like to thank the volunteers who have participated in these trials for their unwavering support as we gear up to welcome passengers to Terminal A in November.”
Known as the Midfield Terminal Building during the construction phase, Terminal A covers 742,000 sqm of built-up area.
Once operational, the new terminal will accommodate up to 45 million passengers per year. It will be able to process 11,000 travellers per hour and operate 79 aircraft at any given time.
Furthermore, Terminal A will feature a range of interconnected biometric systems that will facilitate passage from pre-travel to boarding gate, facilitated by self-service kiosks, streamlined security checkpoints and advanced baggage handling systems.
UAE national carrier Etihad Airways has confirmed that it is expected to gradually move its operations to the new terminal.
(Image: Supplied by Abu Dhabi Airports)
