Passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi airport up 6.6% in first half of 2016

Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) recorded a 6.6 per cent increase in passenger numbers during the first half of 2016, operator Abu Dhabi Airports revealed on Tuesday.

Total traffic for January to June reached over 11.84 million passengers, up from 11.11 million in the first six months of 2015.

The number of people passing through Terminal 1 saw the largest increase at 22 per cent to reach 4.79 million.

However, total aircraft movements during the first six months of the year reduced marginally by 0.5 per cent to 84,488.

Cargo volumes also dropped to 389,191 metric tonnes in H1, down 6 per cent year-on-year.

Looking specifically at June, passenger traffic remained almost flat year-on-year to reach 1.86 million, up by 0.7 per cent compared to June 2015.

In terms of destinations, the most popular destination in June was the Indian city of Mumbai. There was a 26 per cent rise in traffic to the city compared to June 2015, with figures reaching 70,312.

Traffic to and from Doha and Jeddah also grew by 12 per cent in June, with passengers increasing to 60,395 and 58,816 respectively.

Abdul Majeed Al Khoori, acting CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “January and March have been the busiest period for Abu Dhabi International Airport in the first half of the year, with passenger traffic crossing two million in both of these months.

“We are encouraged by the figures from the six months of 2016, which demonstrate continued growth year-on-year.

“Consistent increases in passenger traffic are to be expected given Abu Dhabi’s status as an international hub for commerce and tourism, as well as being a bustling transit point.”

The Abu Dhabi airport is currently undergoing a multi-billion dollar re-development and expansion project designed to increase its overall capacity to more than 45 million passengers per year.

As part of this redevelopment, a second runway and a third terminal have been completed.

It is currently in the process of building its new Midfield Terminal Building, which will be the largest architectural structure in Abu Dhabi when complete.

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