The tour was part of a networking event organized by the Department of Transport Abu Dhabi (DOT), which included an Aviation Sector Stakeholders’ Forum that focused on key challenges in aviation, and a tour to Etihad Airways facilities.
The delegation included dignitaries and leaders from various civil aviation authorities within the region, which included the Kingdom of Morocco, Palestine, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Lebanon, Egypt, the sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Sudan.
The high level delegation was welcomed to a two-hour tour around the key features and facilities of the future airport terminal. The aim was to deliver a full passenger experience of all the travel processes involved. The visit started at the MTB carpark where guests were presented with brief introduction of the new terminal, then moved through the facility’s walkway to the departure hall. After experiencing the departure journey, the delegation moved to the transit area where they saw the sheer space for the duty free, F&B, and hospitality offerings. From there, the group moved towards Pier 4 into one of the departure gates to reach the arrival level. The guests exited the new terminal following their arrival process, which allowed them to experience the entire passenger travel journey whether departing from or arriving to the new gateway.
Bryan Thompson, CEO Abu Dhabi Airports, commented: “We are proud of this magnificent infrastructure that we will start operating soon as the main gateway for Abu Dhabi, and a key transport hub for the region and the world. We are also eager to showcase it to our peers and stakeholders in the aviation community, as this transitioning phase provides priceless opportunities for knowledge sharing and lessons’ learnt.”
Thompson continued: “We are building future capacity not only for Abu Dhabi, but for the entire region, which will have a tangible impact on the sustainability of the economic growth and development locally and regionally.”