Abu Dhabi airport launches website for mobile devices

Abu Dhabi: Passengers using Abu Dhabi International Airport can now access flight and airport information through a new website for mobile phones and tablets, whose launch was announced by the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac) yesterday.

Through the new website, which has the look and feel of a smartphone application, passengers will be able to learn their flight details and receive updates on their flight's status, terminal and gate information, and even locate available parking spaces.

An average of 125,000 guests per month connect to the airport's free wi-fi service, according to Adac. Out of these, almost 60 per cent get connected via a smartphone, said Hamed Al Hashemi, head of Information and Communication Systems at Adac. It's a percentage that officials at Adac believe will increase with the launch of the new mobile website.

Al Hashemi said a mobile website was chosen over a smartphone application because it meant making one investment that allows access to everyone regardless of the smart device they may use.

"It can be on an iPad, an iPhone, an [Android] Samsung, an HTC — and for us we have to make one investment and we can have the same functionality and same service for every smartphone," said Michael Ibbitson, Adac's vice-president of Information and Communication Systems. "We can have one website that is accessible to everyone and easier to update."

The website also has SMS and email alerts of flight changes for passengers. "The introduction of the mobile site is part of a wider strategy to improve passengers' access to information through utilising the most advanced tools," Al Hashemi said.