Dubai has unveiled plans for an additional concourse for its international airport's Terminal 3 and said it had increased the budget of its latest expansion programme to Dh9.25 billion ($2.5 billion).
The second phase of Dubai International Airport expansion project would now include the construction of Terminal 3 and Concourse 2 and an additional Concourse 3 Ñ all of which will be exclusively for Emirates. The construction work, to begin by early next year, will be completed by 2006, local media reported. A Cargo Mega Terminal will also be built in phases and completed by 2018, a Dubai Civil Aviation department official said in the report. The department announced details of the then $1.4 billion expansion plan earlier this year that included the construction of Terminal 3 and Concourse 2. New studies have highlighted the need for a third concourse, Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Minister of Defence Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said. "We did some in-depth study of the market and business trends today and projections for the future, and felt that another concourse is needed," he said. "Keeping in mind the ever growing demands of not just the travel industry, but also the cargo industry, the plans for Dubai International Airport's second phase of expansion have been revised - it will now include Concourse 3," he said in the report. The cost of the entire expansion project has also been revised and it will now be to the tune of $2.5 billion, he said. The DCA also has several other infrastructure projects and facilities which support the major projects of the Phase 2 programme.