ABU DHABI Airports Company’s (ADAC) latest traffic report for the emirate’s international airport showed 5,742,283 passengers travelling through the UAE capital in the first half of the year, an 11.7 per cent increase on the same period in 2010. Aircraft movements grew by 3.5 per cent to 56,888. There was also steady growth in cargo throughput with volume reaching a total of 231,733 tonnes in the first half of 2011 up 10.4 per cent on last year. June recorded particularly strong growth with 983,096 passengers using the airport, a 13.6 per cent increase on the same month in 2010 which is attributed to the beginning of the summer holidays together with additional frequencies from Etihad and the other airlines, including the new services of Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong. ADAC chief operating officer Ahmed Al Haddabi said: 'Abu Dhabi International Airport continues to enjoy a healthy and steady growth in passenger numbers. ADAC is working relentlessly to support this trend and drive it a step further by carrying out more improvements and developments at the airport.' The top routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport during the first half of this year were London, Bangkok, Manila, Doha and Jeddah, generating collectively 20 per cent of the traffic at the airport. The Far East achieved a 40 per cent share of passenger movements, followed by the Middle East with 26 per cent and Europe with 20 per cent.
