Abu Dhabi airports hits first major milestone for new midfield terminal building ahead of schedule

During a live celebration, Abu Dhabi Airports today announced the placement of the first buttress for the main structural steel arches of the Midfield Terminal Building (MTB), 7 days ahead of schedule. The large base was assembled in front of an audience which included company representatives, contractors and media, to commemorate this key milestone in the construction of Abu Dhabi’s new Midfield Terminal.

H.E. Ali Majed Al Mansoori, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports, commented: “The government of Abu Dhabi has graciously bestowed on Abu Dhabi Airports the responsibility of delivering a sustainable, iconic airport terminal building for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Achieving this milestone is a significant step along the path of developing world-class airport infrastructure for Abu Dhabi, and its goal of becoming a vital transportation hub for the region. I would like to personally thank the whole team for this proud achievement.”

Abu Dhabi Airports had previously announced in May that this milestone would be achieved on the 27th October. Today, as Abu Dhabi Airports celebrates this accomplishment, it confirms that the project is on track for completion in 2017.

Abu Dhabi Airports’ Chief Executive Officer, Tony Douglas, commented: “We are truly proud of hitting this important milestone ahead of schedule as it is a clear indicator of Abu Dhabi Airports’ unwavering commitment to delivering the Midfield Terminal Building on time and on budget. I commend our team and partners for their diligence, efficiency and strong performance. As we celebrate this milestone today, we reaffirm our commitment to deliver on our promise and inaugurate Abu Dhabi’s new gateway to the Capital City on 17-07-2017.”

The buttress assembled today is one of 18 substructures that will form the base of the MTB steel structure. This base will hold the nine arches that comprise the building’s roof, which will have an arch span of 180 metres at its widest point. It is worth noting that the whole steel structure of the MTB contains 85,000 tonnes of steel and the assembled buttress today makes up 0.1% of this entire structure.

Due to the complexity of the MTB design structure, and in an initiative to support the delivery of this mega project on time, Abu Dhabi Airports carried out a trial phase for the assembly of the buttress steel structure. Several weeks ago, a mock-up of the buttress was assembled at the MTB site, which was visible from the E10 Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway. This trial phase enabled engineers and architects to practice and log their learnings, which helped overcome challenges that were faced in achieving this critical milestone.

The celebrated milestone today comes as Abu Dhabi Airports introduces an evolution to its corporate identity. “As we strive to deliver the new Midfield Terminal Complex, a mega project that is setting new standards within the airport industry, our company has now evolved to “Abu Dhabi Airports” with a newly defined brand and identity that will serve us further during this upcoming period of unprecedented growth,” added Douglas.

Earlier this month, Abu Dhabi Airports recorded over 10 million man working hours with zero lost-time injuries during the on-going construction of the MTB. This high level performance was realized through the collective efforts of Abu Dhabi Airports, TCA JV, AECOM, and other involved parties to ensure that the highest health, safety and environment practices are upheld throughout all stages of construction.

The Midfield Terminal Complex (MTC) is destined to become the gateway to Abu Dhabi and the future home of Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE. The Midfield Terminal Building is the key component of the MTC development programme and will contribute to the long-term success of the aviation sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. In its first year of operation, the planned capacity of the facility is expected to reach 30 million passengers.