Case Study
Audible Access at DXB: Enhancing inclusive travel for passengers who are hard of hearing
September 2025
– Case Description
Dubai International (DXB) is the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic. In 2024, it welcomed 92.3 million passengers, the highest number in its history.
At DXB, inclusivity is at the heart of the guest experience. Since 2023, the airport has been working with its regional partner, Topland, to introduce accessible and inclusive solutions that make travel easier for guests who are hard of hearing.
The project supports Dubai International’s commitment to ensuring that every guest, regardless of ability, can navigate the terminals with ease, dignity and confidence. It is also in line with Dubai’s Universal Design Code which aims to ensure buildings and transportation are accessible to everyone according to their need.
With three terminals, each featuring a number of information desks, check-in counters, shops, lounges, food outlets, and currency exchange counters, Topland, together with the Contacta Business Development Team, were tasked with designing more than 500 hearing loop installations.
A survey of all the interaction points was carried out, and recommendations and specifications were developed for each one.
Project Summary
“We wanted staff on the ground to be prepared before we started the installations,” said Topland’s CEO, Andy Faulkner.
“We cooperated closely with Dubai Airports in developing staff training on how to use hearing loop systems and the benefits they offer to passengers with hearing loss. Together, we created awareness among key stakeholders throughout the airport and conducted trials at the important touch points in each terminal for the staff and passengers to get acquainted with the technology.”
Between November and December 2024, the team installed 520 Contacta counter hearing loop systems. Engineers had to work around check-in counters, customs and boarding gates, coffee shops, food counters, and retail till points during what was a very busy holiday period.
“In an airport there are practically no quiet hours, so our team had to work quickly and precisely to cause minimal disturbance,” added Andy.
They also had to cover large distances. The counters are spread out across each terminal and with three terminals, engineers walked thousands of steps each day, the record being 35,000!
The engineers were also subject to stringent security checks every time they had to go in or out of airside locations.
Although the counters varied in design, space on all of them was limited. Contacta’s IL-K200 under the counter loop system with halo microphone offered a compact solution. It also allowed for flexible positioning of the loop aerial, something that was crucial as not all the counters were easily accessible.
Topland’s experience and attention to detail, combined with the quality of Contacta’s products, was the reason they were chosen to carry out the work.
“Topland is the leading supplier of assistive listening solutions in the Middle East,” said Andy. “With our long standing and close cooperation with Contacta we are able to provide excellent pre-sales and post-sales services to our customers, such as guidance, product training, product trials and maintenance.
“Contacta under the counter hearing loops not only provide excellent sound quality for hearing aid users but they also require minimal staff training and no additional actions to operate the system.”
“This comprehensive hearing loop installation demonstrates our commitment to practical accessibility solutions that make a real difference to our guests’ experience,” said Majed Al Joker, Chief Operating Officer at Dubai Airports. “Working with partners like Topland and Contacta, we’ve been able to implement cutting-edge assistive technology across every touchpoint in our terminals.”
Project Highlights
520 Contacta Under the Counter Hearing Loop systems installed across major touch points, retail and F&B outlets
Installations were done at all 3 terminals and A, B, C concourses of Dubai Airports
Installation at different counters from information desks, assisted passengers counters, check in counters, boarding gates to coffee shops and till of the food & beverage outlets
An impressive 35,000 steps recorded by one team member in a single day
Final Result
The project was so successful that Topland were also asked to replace the existing hearing loop in one of the Business Class Lounges with a Contacta system.
The next stage will see Topland supplying Contacta portable hearing loops for locations at the airport where fixed loops couldn’t be installed.
With more than 1.5 billion people worldwide living with some degree of hearing loss, and that number expected to rise to 2.5 billion by 2050 according to the World Health Organisation, accessible communication systems are becoming essential in global transport hubs.
The Hearing Loops rollout is part of Dubai Airports’ We All Meet the World Differently platform, a long-term commitment to improving accessibility across DXB through both infrastructure enhancements and frontline staff training.
