Abu Dhabi, UAE, 22 August 2009: Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) today released the July 2009 traffic figures for Abu Dhabi International Airport, which show strong passenger growth in spite of the economic downturn. Passenger numbers for the month exceeded 900,000, as figures show a total of 923,124 people travelled through the airport in the month of July. This was a 10.3 per cent increase over the same month in 2008 which registered 837,129 passengers.

Abu Dhabi International Airport

London emerged as the busiest destination in July with 50,900 passengers, followed by Bangkok with 40,465 passengers. Doha took third place with 37,361. In fourth and fifth place came Cairo and Bahrain with 36,108 and 35,773 passengers respectively. These top five destinations together accounted for 21.7 per cent of all traffic through the airport.

The substantial increase in traffic can be attributed to the start of school holidays as well as the growing range of choice available to passengers at Abu Dhabi International Airport, with new routes launched by Etihad to destinations including Athens, Larnaca and Istanbul, increased frequencies, and new airlines such as Bahrain Air, Sun Air, Jat Airways, Safi Airways and Elite Aviation/Blue Wings establishing routes from the airport.

India remained the largest market and the primary driver of traffic growth with 18.9 per cent increase in passengers, whilst Pakistan retained its second place. The UK was the airport’s third largest market.

Australia continued its rapid passenger growth with an increase of 133.7 per cent as a result of increased frequencies and the new Athens – Melbourne connectivity.

Traffic peaked on 30 July with 32,895 passengers arriving, departing and transferring through the airport, whilst the daily average was 29,779.

Mohammed Al Bulooki, Vice President of Airline Marketing and Aeronautical Revenue, commented:

"While the outlook for our industry remains subdued, Abu Dhabi International Airport continues to achieve impressive growth. We are benefiting from strong market fundamentals in Abu Dhabi and the stable economy. July was a fantastic record breaking month for the airport and we look forward to continued progress towards our goal of becoming a global destination for commerce and tourism."

There was also good news for cargo movement which grew by 2.5 per cent compared to the same time last year, and for cargo flight loads which recorded a 6.1 per cent growth as a result of the significant increase of Expert Commercial Agencies and China Airlines.

Abu Dhabi International Airport Traffic Results July 2009

This report summarizes the traffic results for Abu Dhabi International Airport for the month of July 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 4th 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 Island Airport 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 (US $6.8) 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 the Midfield Terminal Complex will complete the redevelopment within the next few years.

For more information please visit the ADAC Media Centre at www.adacmediacentre.com

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:           adac@fourcommunications.com
Website:        www.adac.ae 
Time Zone:   GMT/UTC +4