Abu Dhabi airport posts strong growth in traffic

Adac, Abu Dhabi Airports Company, said yesterday passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport rose 13.9 per cent to a record 12.4 million in 2011. "The continuous increase in Abu Dhabi International Airport's passenger traffic shows a true reflection of the growth that the emirate is witnessing in trade, industry and tourism, and illustrates the significant investment and vision by Adac in creating a world class airport," said Adac Chief Executive Officer James Bennett in a statement. The capital's gateway cargo traffic was also on the rise, recording 481,500 tonnes, an increase of 10 per cent in comparison to 2010," said Adac. Marketing strategy Article continues below Adac said its ongoing investment in improving the airport facilities and its comprehensive airline marketing strategy have attracted new airlines and encouraged existing airlines to expand their services to Abu Dhabi. "2011 witnessed the joining of leading airline companies to its network such as Cathay Pacific, Virgin Australia and Czech Airlines, which increased the airport's reach to new destinations hence expanding further its connectivity. " The airport enjoyed the addition of eight destinations via new and existing airline partnerships, to include Hong Kong, Prague, Seychelles, Male, Duesseldorf, Bengaluru, Chengdu and Aleppo to its network," it added. Saj Ahmad, a London-based aviation analyst, told Gulf News: "Growth at Abu Dhabi International Airport in 2011 has clearly beaten many people's expectations, particularly when you factor in scepticism regarding economic pressures around the world and also the view that the GCC is competing against itself to secure greater numbers of passenger and freight traffic passing through a finite number of airports." He added: "Just as Dubai International Airport reported a record number of passengers, Abu Dhabi International Airport too can look back on 2011 and in part thank the growth at Etihad as being the primary catalyst for the near 14 per cent year-on-year traffic growth — and it's likely that 2012 will again see double-digit traffic growth too. Outlook "With airplane movements up, monthly passenger traffic figures rising too, especially from Asia and the Middle East, Abu Dhabi International Airport can look to possibly top 14 million passengers this year." "As Etihad expands, demand for travel to and through Abu Dhabi International Airport, like its Dubai counterpart, will continue to rise," said Ahmad. "The continuous increase of Abu Dhabi International Airport's passenger traffic shows a true reflection of the growth that the emirate is witnessing in trade, industry and tourism, and illustrates the significant investment and vision by Adac in creating a world class airport. In December, Abu Dhabi International Airport welcomed 1.147 million passengers, the sixth consecutive month when the airport recorded more than a million passengers. New destinations "Adac is striving to become one of the top airport operators in the world by carrying out more improvements and developments at the airport. The completion of Terminal 1 this year was a great success, as it aimed at delivering the best services to travellers in speed, efficiency, comfort and satisfaction," added Bennett. Etihad Airways, the UAE's national airline, continues to play a key role in the growth of Abu Dhabi International Airport, said Adac. "As a result of Etihad's new aircraft and new destinations served during 2011, scheduled passenger aircraft movements grew 6.2 per cent, totalling 90,281, with Etihad recording 61.4 per cent of the total aircraft traffic," it added. The top 10 routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport during 2011 were: London Heathrow, Doha, Bangkok, Manila, Jeddah, Sydney, Cairo, Frankfurt, Bahrain and Paris Charles de Gaulle. These destinations collectively generated 32.9 per cent of the airport's total passenger traffic.