The UAE is to build an airport linking the Al Gharbia region with the rest of the country as part of plans to develop the area as a new business and tourism destination, it was reported on Wednesday.
A dedicated air-shuttle service is planned to carry visitors to new resorts under development in the isolated region, some of which will be up to 250 kilometres from Abu Dhabi International Airport, UAE daily The National reported on its web site.
A decision had not yet been taken about where the new airport will be built, the newspaper said.
Etihad and other airlines had already been involved in discussions about an air-bridge between Abu Dhabi and Al-Gharbia, said Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) chief executive Lee Tabler.
“We are studying types of aircraft – water-borne aircraft, pontoon aircraft and Fokker aircraft, which can land on water and also fly people into the Empty Quarter,” he said.
Al Gharbia, formerly known as the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, covers 71% of the total land mass of the UAE.
An estimated 98 billion dirhams ($27 billion) of investments have been announced for infrastructure and tourism projects in the region.
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