Dubai: There will be 18 per cent more weekly flights out of Abu Dhabi International this summer compared to the same period last year taking the number to 1,242.
“The summer schedule will be the largest flying programme Abu Dhabi has ever operated,” stated Ahmad Al Haddabi, Chief Operations Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports.
There will be a total of 190 extra weekly flights this summer compared to the same period last year.
New routes that were not operated in summer 2013 are to Los Angeles in the USA, Zurich in Switzerland, Belgrade in Serbia, Perth in Australia, Jaipur in India and Yerevan in Armenia.
There will also be 71 extra weekly flights to India on offer, a subsequent catalyst of the Etihad Airways — Jet Airways partnership that received the go ahead last November.
Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru will each have 14 extra flights a week. There will be 10 new services to Mumbai, eight to Cochin and seven to Delhi on a weekly basis. Etihad’s new Jaipur route will operate daily.
There will be additional services to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain and, according to Abu Dhabi Airports, there will be more aircraft flying to Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Karachi, Peshawar and Rahin Yar Khan in Pakistan.
Greater connections will serve European destinations compared to the previous summer with flights to Rome, Moscow. Munich, Athens and Dublin.
Growth
Abu Dhabi International recorded a 15.1 per cent growth in first quarter passenger traffic, according to recent figures, with 4.5 million travelling through the airport.
Abu Dhabi Airports is currently overseeing the construction of the Dh10.8 billion Midfield Terminal project, which will open mid-2017. The new terminal will serve Etihad Airways and its partner airlines, lifting the capital city airport capacity up to 55 million. In 2013, Abu Dhabi International handled 16.5 million passengers, which is expected to rise to 18 million this year.
“We remain on track to open the world’s biggest new terminal in 2017 and the growth in the number of flights linking Abu Dhabi to cities all around the world is a trend that Abu Dhabi Airports expects to continue in the years ahead,” Al Haddabi stated.
