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Strong passenger growth and infrastructure investment have helped propel sales upwards at Abu Dhabi Duty Free (Terminal 3 pictured) |
UAE. Passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport surged by +18.9% year-on-year in 2012, to 14.7 million, a new annual record. Cargo traffic also increased sharply (+17.9%) to 567,965 tonnes.
As reported, at the recent Trinity Forum, held in Abu Dhabi, ADAC revealed record sales for Abu Dhabi Duty Free of US$220 million in 2012.
ADAC said key contributing factors in the growth were its investment in the airport’s facilities and its airline marketing strategy, which has attracted new airlines and encouraged existing airlines to expand their services to Abu Dhabi.
During the year, a number of leading airline companies began new routes from Abu Dhabi, including Air Berlin and Air Seychelles, in partnership with Etihad Airways. In addition, December saw three international carriers, Alitalia, Garuda and Hainan Airlines, start new routes through Abu Dhabi, and last year also witnessed the beginning of RAK Airways and Rotana Jet, both local carriers, offering domestic flights to and from Abu Dhabi International Airport, increasing Abu Dhabi’s connectivity with other UAE destinations.
ADAC Chief Operating Officer Eng. Ahmad Al Haddabi said: “2012 was a record year for Abu Dhabi International Airport with December registering 1,317,680 million passengers passing through, a +14.8% increase over December of last year, and marking the busiest month on record. 2012 also witnessed the signing of the construction contract for the MTB, a key milestone for the company and Abu Dhabi in delivering a state of the art infrastructure that will cater to more than 30 million passengers by 2017.”
He added: “The annual double-digit growth that Abu Dhabi International Airport has been recording in the past decade is directly impacted by the aggressive expansion plans of the hub carrier, Etihad Airways, and the increase in the number of partnerships with international carriers, supported by ADAC’s commitment to providing passengers with consistent world-class service.
“2013 will be another record year for the capital’s airport, as ADAC strives in its commitment to continuously move forward and develop new services, facilitate new routes, and ensure that Abu Dhabi continues to strengthen its position as the Middle East’s gateway to the rest of the world.”
The top five routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport during 2012 were: Bangkok, London Heathrow, Doha, Manila and Sydney. These destinations collectively generated 20% of the airport’s total passenger traffic.
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