Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 18 April 2009: Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) has welcomed its 43rd airline to Abu Dhabi International Airport. The new route, established by Sun Air, a privately-operated Sudanese airline, will provide the UAE capital with another air link to Sudan’s capital Khartoum. Abu Dhabi will be the airline’s second destination in the UAE.

Sun Air Aircraft

Sun Air is a young full-service airline launched in June 2008 with a fleet of one Airbus A310-300 aircraft and three Boeing 737-400 aircraft. Current routes cover a number of destinations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The airline will operate a Boeing 737 aircraft with capacity for 168 economy class passengers from its new base at Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Terminal 2.

Welcoming the airline to Abu Dhabi International Airport, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Vice President, Airline Marketing and Aeronautical Revenue at the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), said:

"ADAC is pleased with the latest addition to its airline portfolio at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Sun Air will provide choices and more options to VFR (Visiting, Friends & Relatives) traffic as well as to the expat Sudanese community in the UAE.

"Abu Dhabi International Airport is currently undergoing a major AED 25 billion redevelopment. The recent facelift of Terminal 2 coupled with the upgrade of facilities at Terminal 1 and the opening of our third terminal show that we are ready for increased demand by airlines for airport facilities in Abu Dhabi."

Capt. Saif M. Saad Omer, Chairman of Sun Air, said:

"We are extremely pleased to add Abu Dhabi to our route as the Emirate represents a key market for us as we move to extend our international network. We anticipate steady and growing demand for our services and we are hopeful that demand will lead us to increase flight frequency in the future."

From 16 April 2009, Sun Air operates three passenger flights a week, with further plans to increase capacity and operate one Airbus A310-300 to handle cargo flights between UAE and Sudan. In-bound passenger flights will arrive in Abu Dhabi at 20:00hrs and out-bound flights will depart at 21:00hrs. Average flight time between Khartoum and Abu Dhabi is three hours.

-ENDS-

About Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC):
Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) is a public joint-stock company wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi Government. It was incorporated by Amiri Decree number 5, issued on 4 March 2006, to spearhead the development of the Emirate's aviation infrastructure.

In September 2006, ADAC took over responsibility for the operation and management of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain international Airports. In 2008, ADAC added Al Bateen private jet airport, formerly Al Bateen military airbase, and Sir Baniyas and Delma Island Airports to its portfolio. These airports all serve different segments of the marketplace and help contribute to Abu Dhabi’s development as a destination for both business and leisure tourism.

Currently under way is the large scale AED 25 (USD6.8) billion re-development and expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport designed to increase the overall capacity of the airport to more than 20 million passengers per year. As part of this redevelopment, a second runway and a third terminal have been completed. A new ATC tower and Midfield Terminal Complex will complete the redevelopment within the next few years.

Press Office, ADAC – Abu Dhabi Airports Company 
P.O. Box:       94449, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E
Telephone:    +971 2   505 3431
Fax:                +971 2   575 8300
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E-mail:           mtaifour@adac.ae
Website:        www.adac.ae 
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