Abu Dhabi Airports has announced the completion of the Midfield Airside Road Tunnel (Mart) that links the new Dh19.1-billion ($5.2 billion) Midfield Terminal Building with the southside terminals (Terminal 1 and 3) at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Abu Dhabi Airports, which is the operator of both Abu Dhabi and Al Ain International airports, said the Mart tunnel is approximately 1,165 m long with average overall width of 35 m, and will provide airside connectivity between the existing terminals and the MTB.

This will pave way for the passage of passenger and crew buses, catering trucks, ground services equipment, transfer baggage, cargo vehicles and emergency service vehicles, said a statement from Abu Dhabi Airports.

The completion of the tunnel was marked by a site visit of Abu Dhabi Airports’ executive team led by its acting CEO Abdul Majeed Al Khoori, who said: "Today’s achievement is a key milestone towards delivering an airport hub that can sustain growth for years to come."

"It is crucial to have efficient connectivity between all of the airport’s terminals once the MTB is operational, to ensure we deliver a highly functional gateway, utilising all available resources and infrastructure at its highest operational capabilities," he stated.

The Mart tunnel was constructed in two phases;  Phase One being the southern part of the tunnel section beneath the south runway, which was completed in December 2014, and Phase Two connecting Mart Phase One with the airside towards Terminals 1 and 3, including the full mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) installation for the entire project, to deliver a fully operational network of road tunnels.

"The Mart project is a very complex one being carried out in a live and extremely busy airport environment, alongside a mega project being built," added Al Khoori.-TradeArabia News Service