Dubai's A380-dedicated Concourse A fully operational 

(MENAFN) Dubai International Airport's new A380 concourse is officially fully operational, five weeks after the start of a phased launch, Arabian Business reported.

Operator Dubai Airports said in a statement that all 20 gates of the purpose-built facility are now operational, while Emirates' first class and business class lounges were recently opened.

The facility has 11 floors and a total built-up area of 528,000 sq m, and is connected to Concourse B and Terminal 3 via an underground train.

The facility was opened for tests on January 2 with four gates, while Emirates EK 003 flying from Dubai to Heathrow was the first flight to use the concourse.

Concourse A had handled 461,972 pieces of luggage carried on more than 2450 flights serving 589,234 passengers during the initial operations last month.

Dubai Airport plans to boost passenger traffic capacity to 90 million over the next five years.

It is worth mentioning that Emirates Airline is the world's largest operator of A380s, with 31 planes and a further 59 on order.