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Aviation, Business, Dubai, Dubai Airports, Larsen & Toubro, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, News, Transport, Travel
TOKYO – A consortium led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build the world’s largest automated airport people mover, a 50-kilometer system that will connect nine stations at Dubai’s planned Al Maktoum International Airport, the company said Thursday.
The system will be built as part of the first phase of development of the airport in the United Arab Emirates. Completion is scheduled for December 2031.
MHI and its Dubai-based subsidiary, MHI Mobility Engineering Services, will lead the consortium that includes Indian conglomerate Larsen & Toubro.
The consortium will provide 165 automated people mover vehicles and the signaling system, along with system integration and other infrastructure.
Dubai Aviation City Corp., a Dubai government entity, awarded the contract to the consortium. No financial details were disclosed.
APM systems are used worldwide to connect airport terminals, provide transportation in areas near airports and serve as urban transportation systems.
Among the world’s largest airport APM systems currently in operation are Skylink at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in the United States, which has the longest route at about 8 kilometers, and the Plane Train at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, also in the U.S. It is the world’s most heavily traveled airport APM, carrying about 91 million passengers annually.
The new Dubai system will connect terminals and other major airport facilities. Al Maktoum International is planned to become a major international aviation hub, with the airport targeted to eventually handle 260 million passengers annually.
MHI already provides automated people mover systems and services in Dubai.
The company completed an automated people mover system at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport in 2012 and continues to provide operations and maintenance services there through MHI Mobility Engineering Services.
MHI also provides transportation infrastructure in Dubai through Keolis MHI Rail Management and Operation, which operates and maintains the Dubai Metro.