Abu Dhabi Airport Reports October 2009 Traffic

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) has so far recorded a 7% increase in passengers over the course of 2009, and for the month of October 2009, a 2.8% increase in passengers and 24.3% increase in cargo against the month of October 2008.

The extraordinary circumstances provided by the inaugural Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2009 event, pushed traffic levels over the three race-days to an +18% increase, against the same dates last year.

The F1 weekend also had a significant impact on cargo figures recorded, for the month, due to the high volume of F1-related collateral shipped by air freight to facilitate this world-class sporting event.

The start of Etihad’s daily service to Chicago, and the launch of Jazeera Airways’ double daily service between Abu Dhabi and Kuwait also factored into the continuing growth in traffic.

Passenger numbers from India, Abu Dhabi International’s largest single market, continued to rise in October, with a 6.6% increase; the UK moving up a place to become the airport’s second largest market, for the month, having posted a 13.3% increase in traffic. Pakistan retained a leading position, in the number three slot, with the Saudi market in fourth.

“The inaugural Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2009 was a fantastic result for all our teams at Abu Dhabi International Airport and Al Bateen Executive Airport, and clearly demonstrated ADAC’s operational abilities are complemented by its offering of world-class facilities and infrastructure, across the board,” said Ahmed Al Haddabi, Senior Vice President of Airport Operations at ADAC. “We are delighted to see such strong growth throughout the year, and will continue to work with our partners throughout the industry to maintain and promote this momentum, whether it is through the launching of new routes, airport facilities or passenger support systems.”

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