Dubai International's Terminal 1 and Concourse D on Thursday morning welcomed their first passengers after a 15-month long hibernation caused by the pandemic-induced lockdown. Terminal 1 welcomed passengers with the arrival of flynas flight XY201 at the Dubai International airport from the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.

Concourse D is linked to Terminal 1 by an airport train. Opened in February 2016, the $1.2 billion Concourse D is the home terminal for 65 plus international carriers arriving at Dubai International.

With the reopening of Terminal 1, airport authorities are working towards a phased resumption of international carriers from Terminals 2 and 3 in the next coming days. The hub has started preparing for a potential surge in traffic during the summer holidays as international tourism across countries resumes.

The facility provides state-of-the-art services to more than 18 million passengers every year.

The relevant facilities were shut down by airport authorities on March 25, 2020, after the suspension of operations at DXB due to COVID-19. The steps were taken as part of the precautionary measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region.

WAM