Dubai: Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi government owned investment company with an aerospace division, was once planning on becoming an airport operator.
“We looked at it for a while but when the Abu Dhabi Government made Abu Dhabi Airports Company we pulled out,” said Humaid Al Shemmari, Chief Executive Officer of Mubadala Aerospace and Engineering,
Al Shemmari was speaking on a panel at the Gulf Airport Leaders Forum in Dubai on Monday.
Abu Dhabi Airports Company was launched in 2006. It is wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi government and is responsible for overseeing operations of all of the airports in the Abu Dhabi emirate including anchor asset, Abu Dhabi International.
Sani Sener, President and Group CEO of Turkey’s TAV Airports Holding, who was also speaking on the panel, said he would like to see UAE airport operators export their knowledge to other airports.
Airport operators in the UAE have so far focused on their home markets with strong traffic fed by home carriers — Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi, Emirates in Dubai and Air Arabia in Sharjah.
TAV Airports operates 14 airports across Turkey, Europe and the Middle East. It is currently bidding for a contract at New York’s LaGuardia airport.
