Abu Dhabi International sees 17% jump in passenger traffic

Abu Dhabi International Airport received almost two million passengers a month last year after 23 million people passed through its terminals.

The airport said it experienced its busiest ever periods in July, August, September and December with 17.2 per cent overall traffic growth compared to 2014.

“During the first quarter we opened expanded facilities in Terminal 1, part of a broader capacity enhancement program, to ensure that passengers using Abu Dhabi International Airport will always enjoy a world class experience,” said chief operating officer Ahmad Al Haddabi.

Much of the passenger traffic growth was attributed to local carrier Etihad, which carried 17.4 million passengers last year, an 18.4 per cent increase on 2014.

The airport saw double digit increases in traffic from Italy, India and the United States thanks to Etihad’s partnerships with Alitalia and Jet Airways. The Abu Dhabi airline also accounted for more than 74 per cent of passengers to and from the airport.

Traffic between the US and Abu Dhabi surged 39.4 per cent last year due to the launch of several new direct Etihad services and routes including the UK (27.4 per cent), Australia (30 per cent) and Germany (15 per cent) saw sizeable increases.

The top markets were India, the UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the US, accounting for nine million passengers.

Abu Dhabi International also saw an 11.6 per cent increase in aircraft movements in 2015 compared to the previous year at 172,819.

Cargo volumes handled by the airport increased 3.8 per cent to 827,456 metric tonnes.