São Paulo – The Abu Dhabi International Airport, in the United Arab Emirates, welcomed 24,482,119 people in 2016, up 5.1% in comparison to 2015. The report is from the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
“The figures released reveal consistent growth in passenger traffic, demonstrating that Abu Dhabi continues to expand as a global hub processing more passengers than ever before,” said Abdul Makeed Al Khoori, acting CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, the operator of the airport in UAE’s capital.
According to WAM, last year the Abu Dhabi International Airport registered a significant rise in the traffic to and from some destinations. The sharpest increase was to India destinations, which registered more than 4 million passengers, up 13.3% over 2015.
The Abu Dhabi Airports’ executive highlighted the key role of the local airline, Etihad Airways, in the increase of passengers welcomed by the emirate last year;
“Our partner Etihad Airways produced strong results throughout 2016, which contributed significantly to the increase in passenger traffic at the airport. In fact, Etihad Airways accounted for 76 per cent of traffic throughout last year, more than 18.6 million passengers. We are always looking, together with our stakeholders, for more opportunities to grow and meet the demands of our various markets,” said Al Khoori, according to WAM.
In December, the Abu Dhabi International Airport welcomed over two million passengers, an increase of 3.7% over December 2015.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
