Abu Dhabi, UAE, 23 May 2009: Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) today released the April 2009 traffic figures for Abu Dhabi International Airport. The figures show a 12 per cent increase in passengers travelling to, from, and through the airport compared to the same month in the previous year. Aircraft movements also increased by 5 per cent.

Abu Dhabi International Airport

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 per cent 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 per cent; while UK traffic increased by 15.1 per cent. Pakistan was Abu Dhabi's third largest market for the month of April with an overall increase in traffic of 13.9 per cent. Australia continued to see strong growth becoming the airport's ninth largest market after a traffic increase of an amazing 35.4 per cent as a result of Etihad's new daily route into Melbourne.

In this regard, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Vice President of Airline Marketing and Aeronautical Revenue, stated: "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% increase in origin destination traffic further assures us that Abu Dhabi is growing strongly as a destination".

"We keep attracting new airlines to Abu Dhabi International Airport which is testament to the quality of services and facilities we provide, as well as the increasing interest in Abu Dhabi as a global business and tourism destination. The new third terminal at the airport has significantly increased our capacity, which means we can keep up with demand and open our doors to more airlines wishing to establish routes to Abu Dhabi in the future", Al Bulooki concluded.

Mail volumes in April increased a phenomenal 54 per cent, still led by the increase in mail volume to the USA and Australia. Cargo movements declined by 5 per cent during the same month.

Abu Dhabi International Airport Traffic Results – April 2009

This report summarizes the traffic results for Abu Dhabi International Airport for the month of March 2009, and for the last 12 months – all compared to their equivalent period of the previous year. 

• Passengers include transfer.
• Any adjustments to preliminary statistics will be included in the year to date results in future months.

-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
Mobile:           +971 50 2205188
E-mail:           mtaifour@adac.ae
Website:        www.adac.ae 
Time Zone:   GMT/UTC +4