Abu Dhabi, UAE, 27 September 2009: Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) today released the August 2009 traffic figures for Abu Dhabi International Airport, which show a 12.4 per cent increase in aircraft movements, a 6.2 per cent increase in cargo and a 2.5 per cent increase in total passenger movement.

Abu Dhabi International Airport

The double digit growth in aircraft movement can be attributed to the significant number of new airlines establishing routes from Abu Dhabi in the previous 12 months, as well as established carriers launching new routes, including Etihad’s new routes to Athens, Istanbul and Larnaca.  Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has also launched service between Chicago and its hub at Abu Dhabi. It is Etihad's third destination in North America after New York and Toronto and will be operated with an Airbus A340.

India remained the airport’s largest market with an overall increase in passenger traffic of 8.0 per cent, whilst Pakistan came second. The UK was the airport’s third largest market for the month, leaving Saudi Arabia in fourth place. Passenger traffic to Australia continued to increase rapidly due to the new Athens-Melbourne connectivity, and became the fifth busiest country destination with a 141 per cent increase over August 2008.

The top five destinations recorded a total of 200,607 passengers, with London in the top spot with 51,757 passengers. Bangkok took second place with 38,828 passengers, whilst Bahrain, Doha and Cairo came in third, fourth and fifth respectively with a total of 101,314 passengers.

The 2nd of August 2009 was the busiest day of the month, recording a total number of 32,090 arriving, departing and transit passengers. The daily average was 28,760 for the month.

Cargo increased 6.2 per cent, largely due to new services by Maximus and China Airlines.

Ahmed Al Haddabi, Senior Vice President, Airport Operations, ADAC commented:

“In this challenging time for the aviation industry, Abu Dhabi International Airport is still seeing positive growth, route developments, and increasing cargo loads. In spite of the current global slowdown in air transport, the strength of our economy and the commercial fundamentals of the Abu Dhabi market have ensured increasing demand.

“We continue to nurture our strong airline partnerships as well as making enhancements and improvements to the quality of our passengers’ experience, such as our extensive free internet stations and our self service check in kiosks. The work we are doing now will cement our position as an airport of choice for both airlines and passengers in the near future.”    

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Abu Dhabi International Airport Traffic Results August 2009
This report summarizes the traffic results for Abu Dhabi International Airport for the month of August 2009, and for the last 12 months – all compared to their equivalent period of the previous year.  The route traffic section shows a comparison to the last three years. 

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 
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