Tag Archives: Abu Dhabi Airports

Abu Dhabi Airports welcomed airBaltic’s first flight arriving from Riga, Latvia on October 30. The maiden flight marks the commencement of a direct service four times a week between Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) and Riga International Airport (RIX) by airBaltic. On board the first flight arrived Hanan Al Aleeli, UAE Ambassador to Latvia accompanied by members of the embassy and representatives of the airline. The guests were hosted at VIP Terminal and greeted by Astra Kurme, Latvia Ambassador to the UAE and members of the embassy in the UAE, in addition to representatives from Abu Dhabi Airports, Etihad Airways and Air Baltic. Flights will arrive from RIX at 7:25am and depart from AUH at 9:45am on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Hanan Al Aleeli, UAE Ambassador to Latvia, commented, “Our two governments witnessed the maturity of our bilateral relations into full capacity this year, with the operation of two fully fledged embassies in both countries, which was translated to many achievements and milestones.”

Abu Dhabi Airports and Al Hilal Bank entered a joint agreement to offer exclusive VIP terminal access to top ranking customers of Al Hilal Bank at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. Abdul Majeed Al Khoori, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports, commented, “The VIP Terminal has been built and operated with one ambition; to extend a luxury service to all our customers and ensure they receive an exceptional travel experience that mirrors what Abu Dhabi has on offer. Therefore, partnerships like this are instrumental to achieve this ambition, and we look forward to the success it will deliver to Abu Dhabi Airports and all its partners.” Alex Coelho, CEO, Al Hilal Bank, commented, “At Al Hilal Bank, we always strive to go the extra mile when it comes to entering new partnerships. Our partnership with National Aviation Services is our latest client-centric endeavour; focusing on improving the lifestyle of our customers by making the travel experience more rewarding. Through this partnership, Al Hilal Bank customers can now enjoy complimentary access to the VIP Terminal at Abu Dhabi International Airport. We are happy to be part of this fruitful collaboration; offering our customers an easier and better travel experience, and we will continue to provide our customers with similar offerings that improve their quality of life.”

Abu Dhabi Airports has been awarded the UAE’s first Aerodrome Flight Information Services (AFIS) certification from the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), for its Sir Bani Yas Airport. AFIS is provided at airfields where flight information is required but where the aircraft traffic does not warrant having a full Air Traffic Control service. AFIS can provide information to pilots about other known traffic that is landing, taking off, or flying in the vicinity of the airfield, as well as relevant meteorological information and status of the runway. To get the certification, Aerodrome Flight Information Service Officers (AFISOs) had to be trained as per the GCAA standards, new AFIS procedures were introduced, a watch tower was built and technical equipment, including communication and recording systems, were installed. H.E. Saif Al Suwaidi – Director General GCAA, commented, “The Aerodrome Flight Information Service Regulations are the first in this region, and in fact amongst the first in the world. Thus, the issue of a certificate for this service is a new concept, and it has taken a great deal of preparation in order to achieve the high standards necessary to attain the certification and the approval. Abu Dhabi Airports and GAL Air Navigation Services are congratulated for their accomplishment as the first unit in the region to receive this ground-breaking certification.”

Abu Dhabi Airports will conduct a full scale emergency exercise at Abu Dhabi International Airport on December 14, 2016. The exercise is expected to run for approximately two hours from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm. During this time, Abu Dhabi International Airport will continue to operate as normal. The exercise is being conducted in accordance with Civil Aviation Regulations issued by the General Civil Aviation Authority, and in compliance with standards and recommendations as stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization. Response teams from various units including airport operations, security, fire and rescue, police, and medical services, will test their coordinated response to an emergency situation.

Abu Dhabi Airports has installed a new Automated Tray Return System (ATRS) to speed up the process of hand luggage screening at Terminal 3 in Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH). The new system allows for the processing of more than four times the number of baggage that conventional screening lanes do, reducing screening wait times and congestion, and providing a smoother travel experience for passengers. Unlike the conventional system that allows only one passenger at a time to load their belongings into the tray, the ATRS provides four stations at which travelers can simultaneously prepare their bags for screening. The ATRS also has two buffer stations, seven redress stations for cleared trays, four reject stations for suspicious trays, and two search stations. The system operates with a Hi-Scan 7555 aTix machine and is equipped with two operator workstations allocated remotely in an imaging room, through which the live images can be analyzed separately. Any trays containing suspect belongings can be diverted to the search area for further investigation, away from the cleared lane.

Abu Dhabi Airports has released figures for passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH), for the first half of 2016. Total traffic for January to June reached 11,848,359, million passengers, representing a 6.6 per cent increase from the 11,111,577 in the first six months of 2015. The number of people passing through Terminal 1 saw the largest increase, reaching 4,790,469 — a 22 per cent growth from 3,918,322 in 2015. The most popular destination in June was Mumbai. There was a 26 per cent rise in traffic to the Indian destination compared to the same month last year, with figures up from 55,991 to 70,312. Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national carrier, incorporated the Indian city to its A380 service earlier this year in May. Traffic to and from Doha and Jeddah both grew by 12 per cent in June, with passengers increasing from 53,912 to 60,395, and 52,342 to 58,816, respectively. Abdul Majeed Al Khoori, Acting CEO, Abu Dhabi Airports, said that January and March have been the busiest period for Abu Dhabi International Airport in the first half of the year, with passenger traffic crossing two million in both of these months. They are encouraged by the figures from the six months of 2016, which demonstrate continued growth year-on-year. Consistent increases in passenger traffic are to be expected given Abu Dhabi’s status as an international hub for commerce and tourism, as well as being a bustling transit point.

Abu Dhabi Airports has announced the launch of flights by the Egyptian based carrier, Nile Air (NIA), into Al Ain International Airport. The new operation introduces four weekly flights between Al Ain International Airport and Cairo International Airport. This is Nile Air’s first flight to any destination in the United Arab Emirates, and commenting on this new service, Ahmed Aly, Chief Executive Officer, Nile Air said, ”Nile Air is pleased to announce our entry to the Emirati market, our 7th country, with a new route connecting Cairo and Al-Ain city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The new service to Al-Ain will provide an easy and convenient travel option between both cities for business travelers and tourists visiting Egypt, and the estimated 100,000 Egyptian nationals residing in the city of Al-Ain and its surrounding region who wish to travel home.”Mohammed Al Katheeri, Acting Chief Operations Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “We are delighted that Nile Air has begun operations to Al Ain, as this will further strengthen tourism between the UAE and Egypt and build Al Ain’s prominence as a growing international tourist destination. The airline anticipates high demand for this route, particularly during the busy summer season, and we wish them every success.” The NIA 147/8 flights, operated on Airbus A320 aircraft, will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Between July 1 and October 1 the flight will depart from Cairo at 1005 GMT, arriving in Al Ain at 1340 GMT, and the return flight will leave the UAE at 1440 GMT and arrive back in Egypt at 1830 GMT. In October the service will become bi-weekly, with flights on Fridays and Sundays. A free shuttle …

Abu Dhabi Airports has announced a 5.6 per cent increase in passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) for May 2016, compared to the same month last year. A total of 1,982,010 people travelled through AUH last month, exceeding May 2015’s figure of 1,877,440. A number of destinations witnessed noteworthy growth in passenger traffic, with the UK exceeding its May 2015 figures by 18.4 per cent last month, and Egypt recording a 24.3 per cent increase over the same period last year. The number of travellers with AUH as their final destination was 355,457 up by 4.6 per cent. The top-five routes were Bombay, Doha, London Heathrow, Manila and Jeddah respectively. Arrival and departure transfers both showed an increase of 7.5 per cent and 7.7 per cent respectively compared to the same month last year, while the total number of transfer passengers recorded was 1,279,599, up by 7.6 per cent, reflecting the airport’s connectivity and position as a global hub.