The upgrade included the refurbishment and widening of the runway, elevating it to Code “F” standard to accommodate every type of commercial aircraft in the world.

The Southern Runway functions independently from Northern Runway yet together, both runways have reached total combined capacity in excess of 500,000 aircraft movements annually, making AUH one of the largest two-runway operations worldwide.

In addition to the Southern Runway renovation, the Southern Airfield Programme included the construction of an airside road tunnel underneath the Southern Runway.  1.2 kilometres in length and 40 metres wide, the tunnel enables uninterrupted connectivity between the Terminal A and existing Terminals 1 and 3.