Abu Dhabi | In the first half of this year, 63 lakh passengers traveled through Abu Dhabi International Airport, officials said. Abu Dhabi Airports, the operator of Abu Dhabi International Airport, Al Ain Airport, Al Bathin Executive Airport, Delma and Sarbani Yas Island airports, stated in the passenger traffic report that 94,538 domestic and international flights operated from five airports between January and June. Sharif Hashim Al Hashmi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, said the growth in passengers reflects the growth of Abu Dhabi’s airports and industries.
Al Hashmi explained that Abu Dhabi Airports remains committed to high levels of service excellence by catering to more passengers and expanding its airline network. Although 2021 was a successful year, the target for 2022 was to increase passenger numbers over previous years. The resumption of regional and global markets and efforts by airlines to accommodate demand safely and effectively contributed to the higher figures. The aim is to continue this success throughout the second half of 2022.
From Abu Dhabi International Airport alone, the number of scheduled passenger flights increased by 94 percent compared to the first half of 2021. 101 cities are served by 23 airlines. During the same period last year, 19 airlines operated services to 76 cities. In the first half of 2022, more passengers are from India. 10.28 lakh Indians used the airport. Other countries are Pakistan (485,000), UK (374,000), Saudi Arabia (333,000) and Egypt (283,000).
Meanwhile, London Heathrow (276,000), Delhi (225,000), Mumbai (221,000), Kochi (217,000) and Cairo (203,000) were the most popular destinations. Abu Dhabi International Airport handled 297,549 tonnes of cargo in the first half of the year. Between April and June, the number of scheduled passenger flights increased by 117 percent compared to the second quarter of 2021. The top five countries for airport passenger numbers in the second quarter were India (764,000), Pakistan (231,000), UK (203,000), Saudi Arabia (195,000) and Egypt (156,000).