Abu Dhabi International Airport receives 5.26 million visitors in 2021

Abu Dhabi International Airport received 5.26 million visitors in 2021, posting a 5.5 per cent drop from 5.57 million passengers welcomed in 2020.

The fourth quarter of last year saw 2.43 million passengers pass through the hub, equating to 46 per cent of last year’s visitor numbers, according to the 2021 passenger traffic results released by Abu Dhabi Airport.

The airport recorded 74,176 flights during the year, compared to 61,034 in 2020, marking an increase of 21.5 per cent, official news agency WAM reported.

“The sharp rise in passenger traffic during the last three months is a clear indication that the recovery is underway and gaining momentum,” said Shareef Al Hashmi, CEO, Abu Dhabi Airports. “We expect traffic to double at Abu Dhabi International this year to reach 10.7 million as vaccination programmes progress, government restrictions in markets around the world ease and consumer confidence rebounds.”

Abu Dhabi International’s network also expanded during 2021, with 103 destinations now being served compared to 75 destinations in 2020. India topped the list of countries in terms of passenger volumes last year, with 932,949 visitors, followed by Pakistan (550,728), Egypt (446,883), the US (254,201) and Saudi Arabia (244,954).

The busiest destinations being served by AUH included Cairo (372,456), Islamabad (209,280), Delhi (197,012), Lahore (184,315) and Dhaka (182,983).

A total of 5.377 million bags were processed through the airport’s baggage system in 2021, including 3,878,132 departure bags with a delivery success rate of 99.8 per cent.

In 2021, an increase in general cargo shipments and special products led to 711,715 tonnes of freight handled by Abu Dhabi International Airport, posting an increase of 31.8 per cent compared to the 540,144 tonnes handled in 2020.