Abu Dhabi airport eyes record year

ABU DHABI International Airport is flying towards another record year as it continues to register double-digit growth figures.

A total of 1,411,881 passengers used the airport in February, up from 1,221,686, or 15.6 per cent,  over the same month last year. Aircraft movements rose to 11,174, up 12.2 per cent when compared with 9,960 movements in February 2013.

“2014 is anticipated to be another record year for Abu Dhabi International Airport as the airport continues to register double digit growth in passenger traffic,” said Engineer Ahmad Al Haddabi, chief operations officer at Abu Dhabi Airports.

“Such momentum will have no doubt its challenges in terms of capacity management, quality assurance, and efficiency. In spite of that, Abu Dhabi Airports is determined to continue provide innovative solutions to ease the travel experience of passengers until the Midfield Terminal Building [MTB] is opened  in 2017.”

Within the next few years, over 20 million passengers are expected to use Abu Dhabi International Airport as their origin, destination or transit point. The MTB, Abu Dhabi Airports’ iconic expansion project, is being constructed to handle increasing passenger traffic. The project features one of the largest terminal buildings in the world spread over a space of 700,000 sq m and holds mega arches that span to 180 m at its longest and up to 52-m high at its highest point, to offer a spectacular open space guaranteed to give visitors a unique travel experience. The MTB will also presents a space of 28,000 sq m of duty free shops and restaurants and provide an initial capacity of 30 million passengers per year. 

The top five routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport during February were Bangkok, Jeddah, Doha, Manila and London Heathrow.

HOTELS UPBEAT

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi’s 149 hotels and hotel apartments saw a 33 per cent jump in guests in February compared to February 2013 with occupancy reaching 81 per cent to a 4 per cent rise on 2013.

Figures released by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) show that 262,193 guests checked into the emirate’s accommodations during February delivering a 21 per cent month-on-month rise in guest nights to 815,718.

Abu Dhabi’s average room rate is currently around Dh453 ($123).

Domestic tourism in the first two months of this year grew by 30 per cent in Abu Dhabi hotels. The largest overseas guest market in the first two months was the UK. India was the second largest international source market, followed by China.

YAS ISLAND

In another development, Abu Dhabi Yas Island is pulling out all the stops in its bid to position the emirate as a key meetings destination.

Abu Dhabi is already rated among the top 100 global association meetings destinations by the International Congress and Convention Association’s (ICCA).

Yas Island Destination Management is now supporting organisers with complimentary advisory services, including event planning advice and facilitation of venue proposals, to help ensure that each Yas Island event runs smoothly and efficiently. 

Yas Island provides facilities for a range of meeting sizes and configurations. In addition, buyers are encouraged to go beyond traditional corporate experiences and take advantage of its attractions such as Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Links golf course, Yas Marina, Yas Waterworld and Ferrari World.

Yas Island’s enhanced facilities for corporate events, including tailored packages to create unconventional and inspiring experiences, has seen it continue to attract both corporate groups and destination management companies (DMCs), which recognise how Yas Island’s diverse attractions complement each other.

The peak in interest has also helped to increase Abu Dhabi’s number of international tourists month-on-month over the past year.   

“With seven hotels and so many activities, Yas Island is a superb destination to host business events that offer something special – you can give your guests a modern or traditional welcome and integrate special activities including golf, motor racing and yachting,” says Clive Dwyer for Yas Island. “Customers can host events that match the innovation of their businesses – it can encapsulate their creativity.”