Abu Dhabi airport passengers rise 6% in Feb

NUMBERS UP: Abu Dhabi International Airport has reported a six percent increase in passengers in February.

Abu Dhabi International Airport announced on Monday a six percent increase in total passenger traffic for February.

The biggest growth came from India where traveller numbers to Abu Dhabi climbed 36 percent. Meanwhile, Pakistan registered a 14.6 percent increase from the previous month.

Total aircraft movements rose 4.9 percent during the same period. Officials at Abu Dhabi airport said international exhibitions, conferences and shows such as IDEX contributed to last month’s total traffic increase.

Demand among travellers from the Indian Subscontinent climbed following an increase in frequencies and competitive fares.

Abu Dhabi’s third largest international market for the month was the UK, registering a 5.1 percent increase in passenger traffic. Saudi Arabia came fourth after traffic from the Kingdom climbed 10.2 percent.

Mail volumes increased 7.3 percent, while cargo dropped 2.1 percent to 26,758 tons due to the economic downturn.

“We are very pleased that we still have strong and sustainable growth rates,” said Mohammed Al Bulooki, vice president of airline marketing and aeronautical revenue.

“IATA has projected growth for the Gulf even as they predict tough times ahead for the rest of our industry. However, we cannot be complacent.

“In light of the global economic downturn, we know that now more than ever is the time to focus on consistent quality, reliability, and exceptional service, because people will be more selective with their travel.

“That is why we continue to focus on improving our facilities at Abu Dhabi International Airport and we continue to evolve as a world class airport of choice.”

Etihad Airlines, the main traffic driver through Abu Dhabi airport, recorded a five percent increase in passenger numbers.

Last month, the top five most popular cities for passengers travelling from Abu Dhabi were Doha, London, Bangkok, Cairo and Bahrain. These destinations accounted for 17.2 percent of all traffic through Abu Dhabi airport in February.

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