Dubai: Abu Dhabi International recorded a 21.1 per cent increase in passenger traffic during the first quarter of 2015, manager and operator Abu Dhabi Airports said on Wednesday.
A total of 5,521,110 passengers used Abu Dhabi International in the first quarter compared with 4,560,169 passengers a year earlier. The number of aircraft landings and take-offs rose 16 per cent to 41,585 compared to 35,844 in the first quarter of 2014. The airport handled 200,127 tonnes of cargo, up 9.2 per cent.
“With more than 5 million passengers passing through Abu Dhabi International Airport during the first quarter, the statistics continue to show that Abu Dhabi is rapidly becoming a major global transportation hub,” stated Ahmad Al Haddabi, chief operations officer at Abu Dhabi Airports.
Last month, Alitalia added daily services between Abu Dhabi and Venice and South African Airways added daily services between Abu Dhabi and Johannesburg. Meanwhile, Jet Airways resumed daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Pune, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.
In March, passenger traffic rose 21.1 per cent to 1,917,939 compared to 1,584,022 in March 2014. The number of aircraft landings and take-offs rose 15 per cent to 14,605, up from 12,698. Meanwhile, the airport handled 71,581 tonnes of cargo in March, up 4.8 per cent from 68,328 tonnes in March 2014.
“During the first quarter, we opened the newly expanded facilities at Terminal 1 and we continue to push ahead with a broader capacity enhancement programme to ensure that passengers using Abu Dhabi International Airport will always enjoy a world class experience,” stated Al Haddabi.
