Final de-propping work on roof of Midfield Terminal Building complete

Abu Dhabi, UAE, June 23, 2016:   Abu Dhabi Airports today announced that it has completed the final de-propping of the last arch in the roof of the new Midfield Terminal Building (MTB), meaning that the structure is now completely self-supporting. 

The de-propping took three days and 90 jacking points were used around the building for support while the process was underway. This last stage released 8,000 tonnes of weight onto the roof, which weighs 21,000 tonnes in total. 

Sulaiman Al Siksek, Chief Programs Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports commented: “Now that the complex process of de-propping the roof structure has been completed, the construction team has started clearing the 50 support towers under the roof, which will take them another four to five weeks. Meantime the work can now start on the exterior enveloping of the front façade and on the preparation necessary for the interior work on the central processor.”

During the next few months, Abu Dhabi Airports will begin building the stand-alone retails units in the duty free area of the building. 

The MTB, along with the existing terminals at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH), will serve the increasing number of passengers flying through Abu Dhabi, a figure expected to surpass 45 million within the next decade. The MTB will be the largest architectural structure in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, visible from more than 1.5 km away. Its roof span is 319m at the widest point with 18 arches, the largest of which is 180m wide and 52m high.

The remarkable new terminal is situated between the two runways at AUH, allowing the shortest possible journey from runway to parking stand, and providing a quicker and smoother experience for passengers.