Dubai is set to strengthen passenger connectivity at Al Maktoum International Airport with a massive Automated People Mover (APM) system spanning about 50 km. Larsen & Toubro (L&T), in partnership with Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), will build the network, which will connect nine stations across the airport complex.
The APM will provide automated passenger transport across the sprawling airport, helping travelers move between terminals and aircraft concourses. Thus, making it easy for passengers to travel from one terminal to another and from concourse to concourse.
This automated people mover is designed by the Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP). The aim is to facilitate passenger movement around the airport. Its broader masterplan envisages a 14-station network with multiple tracks, eventually forming a large loop connecting terminals and concourses.
The first phase of Al Maktoum International’s expansion includes the West Terminal and Concourse 1, which will have 100 aircraft contact gates. An underground four-station APM will provide passenger connections during this stage.
The network will expand as additional airport infrastructure comes online. Concourse 2 is planned with three APM stations. Experts suggest that later development phases will extend the system to other concourses and the East Terminal.
The people mover forms part of Dubai’s wider expansion of Al Maktoum International, also known as Dubai World Central. The airport expansion carries an investment of about $35 billion, with Dubai Airports targeting a capacity of 150 million passengers annually within the next decade.
The airport’s ultimate configuration is designed to handle up to 260 million passengers annually and 12 million tonnes of cargo. It will feature five runways and more than 400 aircraft contact gates. The scale of the APM reflects the size of Dubai’s planned aviation hub.
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