Abu Dhabi airport work progressing well

Abu Dhabi: The Dh6.8-billion redevelopment plan at Abu Dhabi International Airport is on schedule and will be competed by 2030, Gulf News has learnt.

The massive investment will come in phases, with the air traffic control tower and the midfield terminal complex to be completed next year," a spokeswoman for Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), the entity responsible for overseeing the airport's redevelopment, said.

The airport, which was built in 1982, will have a handling capacity of 40 million passengers a year by 2030 — from 12 million passengers now — in line with the projected population growth of Abu Dhabi.

It takes into account the completion of all other mega-projects in the emirate, under construction or planned, which are currently estimated to be worth a collective $200 billion (Dh734 billion).

There are currently 52 airlines operating in and out of the Abu Dhabi International Airport, with more to follow, as the airport emerges as a major regional aviation hub.

The top routes from Abu Dhabi in the first half of 2010 were London, Bangkok, Doha, Manila and Bahrain.