Introduction
Miami international airport, which is commonly referred to as MIA, is one of the busiest airports serving the area of south Florida. The airport has LAN airlines’, cargo operations and passengers. It has flights for cargo and passengers, which fly throughout America and Europe. The services are also extended to Canary Islands, along the African coast and also in Asia. The airport dates back to 1959 and has undergone a number of developments. To enhance its services, the North Terminal Development (NTD) Program was initiated, which was scheduled to be completed by December 2011. MIA is the largest US gateway to Latin America and Caribbean. It is among the leading international airports in the world. This report provides a brief description of MIA’s North Terminal Development (NTD).
MIA’s North Terminal Development
This project is quickly nearing completion in 2012, and most of its phases are already in operation. The terminal has one concourse (D), which is 330000m2 and a linear one, which is 1.9 km long. It has a 30 million passenger capacity every year. There is also a bus station in the terminal. In total, there are 50 gates which are nearly complete. The construction of the northern terminal began in 1998 and was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2005. However, the project was delayed by the coast overruns until 2012 when it was nearly fully operational. Initially, the project was manned by American Airlines but later, in 2005, the management was taken over by Miami-Dade County Aviation Department. The sections of the terminal opened in phases due the disruptions that occurred in the course of the project. Currently, a significant majority of the project is completed and fully operational. The evaluation carried out in July 2011 revealed that the project will be completed by early 2012.
Currently, the activities left are only the construction of customs and immigration area, which is very important in MIA. There is also a re-check inspection area which is under construction. This area is meant for international to international connections. Three out of the targeted 50 gates are also under construction. The project will be finally complete when a new checked baggage delivery system will be fully completed and operational. According to Miami International Airport, Twenty-three passenger gates are currently in operation and Phase 1 of the project, a 290,000-square-foot “front door” section that includes new areas for curbside check-in, ticket agent and self-service check-in and domestic baggage claim, opened for business on November 5, 2009 (Miami International Airport, 2011, 1).
There is a one mile long terminal and an automated people mover, which has four stations that are being constructed in order to facilitate the connections of passengers. There is also a concourse D sky train which is capable of transporting about nine thousand passengers every hour. As stated by Miami International Airport, “the four spacious, circular common areas in North Terminal will feature concessions, passenger lounges and modern architectural elements such as sky lights for natural lighting (Miami International Airport, 2011, 1). This shows that the services will be excellently delivered. The terminal will mostly be occupied by the American airlines. It will serve to integrate the American Eagle operations in the region. The 50-gate super concourse is meant to serve more than 20 million passengers every year. The super concourse is also expected to provide over 300 flights daily.
The North Terminal Improvements (NTI) Phase II project helps improve the front door of the terminal and increase its size by adding 150, 000 square feet of additional space. This space will also be used as ticket counters to facilitate tickets issuance. The space will also be enough for a fourth security check point in the north terminal and for loading and unloading of cargo and also the passengers when they arrive or when departing. These developments will also help re-connect the central and the northern terminals of the airport.
The North Terminal’s Phase I was already completed by early November 2009. At this point, there are 58 agent ticket positions to serve passengers and 66 check-in devices which are ‘self service’. There are also 14 curbside check-in positions already completed in the North Terminal’s Phase I. According to Miami International Airport, the “three security checkpoints located just 90 feet from the concourse area provide fast and easy access to North Terminal’s passenger gates, all counted as part of phase 1” (Miami International Airport, 2011, 1).
It is clear that the MIA North terminal Development project will give the passengers a taste of high quality in Miami International Airport. The project, scheduled for completion in 2012, will feature: “a 400,000-square-foot, 72-lane federal inspection area capable of serving 3,600 international passengers per hour upon their arrival to the U.S., an eight-lane, re-check inspection area for passengers connecting between international flights and a new international “greeter’s lobby” (Miami International Airport, 2011, 1). There is also a new baggage handling and delivery system that ensures safety of the passengers’ baggage. This is also expected to be completed in the course of 2012. The Terminal also has restaurants, more than sixty in number, and shops. More are expected to be built upon completion of the project.
Conclusion
The MIA’s North Terminal Development (NTD) project is one of the most innovative projects undertaken by MIA. It is based on the current needs in the market and is aimed at ensuring quality services to customers. Upon its completion, it will serve over 30 million passengers annually, which is a great improvement in the Airport.
Reference List
Miami International Airport (MIA). (2011). North Terminal Development (NTD) Program. 2012. Web.
Miami International Airport (MIA). (2011). North Terminal. 2012. Web.