Abu Dhabi sees 12% rise in air passengers

MORE PASSENGERS: Abu Dhabi International Airport saw a 12 percent increase in passengers during April.

The number of passengers using Abu Dhabi International Airport during April was 12 percent higher than in the same month in 2008, new figures reveal.

The Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) April 2009 traffic figures also showed that aircraft movements increased by five percent.

Conferences and exhibitions held in Abu Dhabi in April, such as Cityscape Abu Dhabi, were attributed as some of the main contributing factor to the passenger traffic increase.

Other factors included the arrival of new Sudanese airline, Sun Air, with three weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Khartoum, and Etihad Airways commencing daily flights to Melbourne, Australia.

London remained in the top position as Abu Dhabi’s busiest route, with Bangkok in second position. Doha was the third business destinations, followed by Bahrain in fourth place, making Jeddah the airport’s fifth busiest destination for the month.

Origin destination passengers increased by 13.7 percent during the month of April.

The Indian subcontinent continued to see strong growth with competitive pricing and high volume workforce traffic.

Traffic to and from India increased by 29.2 percent; while UK traffic increased by 15.1 percent.

Pakistan was Abu Dhabi’s third largest market for the month of April with an overall increase in traffic of 13.9 percent.

Australia continued to see strong growth becoming the airport’s ninth largest market after a traffic increase of an amazing 35.4 percent as a result of Etihad’s new daily route into Melbourne.   

Mohammed Al Bulooki, vice president of Airline Marketing and Aeronautical Revenue, said: “Worldwide, April is a month where a lot of business travel increases and this is clearly reflected in the traffic figures. Also the fact that we have seen a 13.7 percent increase in origin destination traffic further assures us that Abu Dhabi is growing strongly as a destination."

Mail volumes in April increased 54 percent, still led by the increase in mail volume to the USA and Australia. Cargo movements declined by five percent during the same month. 

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