Record year for Abu Dhabi Airport

Confirming continuos growth throughout 2007, the December traffic results showed a 40.4% uptrend in total passengers and a 19.9% rise in aircraft movements, compared to December 2006. For the full year 2007, total passengers grew 31% over 2006 while aircraft movements went up by 15%.

"The strong traffic seen during 2007 is a direct result of Abu Dhabi's growing prominence as an attractive tourist and business destination," said H.E. Khalifa Al Mazrouei, Chairman and Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), the owner and operator of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain International Airports.

The airport handled a total of 730,404 passengers in December 2007, a 40.4% rise over the 520,133 passengers seen in December 2006. The number of aircraft movements increased 19.9% during the same period, rising from 6,517 in December 2006 to 7,811.

For the year 2007 (January-December), the number of total passengers increased by 31.0% achieving a record 6.926 million passengers. Aircraft movements increased 15.0%, having registered a total of 86,767 movements, compared to 75,437 in the same period in 2006.

Cargo volume continued its strong performance and increased to 28,184 tons in December 2007 from 26,905 tons last year, a growth of 5% and for the full year 2007 cargo volumes increased 22% from 257,622 tons in 2006 to 315,317 tons.

A substantial factor in the Airport's strong growth has been the rapid expansion of its home base airline, Etihad Airways. In 2007, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates expanded with 9 new destinations in 2007, increasing their number of average weekly services from 463 per week in January to 719 per week in December. Growth was also driven by a 10% increase in the number of other airlines operating at the airport with the commencement of services by Oman Air, Ethiopian Airlines and SAMA.

"It is very pleasing to see the continued expansion of our largest customer, Etihad Airways, and the commencement of so many airlines taking advantage of the quick and efficient services of the airport and the underlying economic growth of Abu Dhabi,"

Al Mazrouei said.

Alongside the record passenger growth, the airport continued to deliver fast and efficient services that won it high recognition from passengers and from the industry. Recently won awards included "the best airport in the Middle East and Africa in terms of service quality, courtesy, and customer service" by the Airports Council International, "provider of the best baggage delivery service in the world" by Skytrax, the best provider of airport security services in the Middle East by ITP Business Publishing, and the best station award by Sri Lanka Airlines.

ADAC's commitment to customer service will be further demonstrated in 2008 as new facilities come on line. These include a third, 5m passenger terminal, which will almost double the current capacity to 12 million passengers. Featuring eight gates, including two A380 compatible, the new terminal will meet the demand of Etihad Airways and foreign airlines until the Midfield Terminal Complex is ready a couple of years later.

On the facilities level, ADAC is expanding its existing satellite area to create more room for additional airport services and more seating space. Thanks to this expansion, some of the major international renowned catering outlets, such as McDonalds and Starbucks will shortly be offering their services to passengers.
ADAC has just opened the new Yas Lounge at Terminal 1, specifically catering to the economy class tarvelers who stop over at the Airport for more than six hours before joining their next flight.

"ADAC will continue to deliver on its commitment to the Government and the people of Abu Dhabi to provide world class customer service. Our plans for the future will deliver best in class facilities to ensure this airport is a fitting gateway for a world class city and the Emirate as a whole," Al Mazrouei concluded.