Abu Dhabi International Airport passed two major milestones in July as two million passengers travelled through the airport for the first time in a month, while over one million departures were also recorded.

A total of 2,100,929 passengers used the airport in July, compared with 1,703,995 in the same month of 2014, recording an increase of 23.3 per cent, taking the average daily number of passengers to over 60,000.

Within these numbers, around 1,113,108 passengers departed from Abu Dhabi International Airport in July, also a record first in a single month at the airport.

Aircraft movements reached 15,059, representing a 14.2 per cent increase over the 13,188 movements reported in July 2014. Cargo activity was also on the rise in July, recording 68,888 metric tons handled; a 2.1 per cent increase when compared to July 2014. Etihad cargo which represents 91.5 per cent of the airport total cargo grew by 3.0 per cent.

Ahmad Al Haddabi, chief operations officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “We are proud to have passed not one but two significant milestones in a single month, with the total number of passengers reaching two million for the first time in Abu Dhabi International Airport’s history and recorded departures of more than 1 million.”

“The rate at which passenger numbers are increasing year on year continues to follow an upward trend. The figures in July 2015 were boosted by Ramadan and the Eid Al Fitr holiday, as well as the summer holiday season. Throughout the year, and in particular at these busy times, we aim to ensure that standards of service, safety and security, remain consistently high, helping us achieve our vision to become the world’s leading airports group. The Midfield Terminal Building, which is being built to meet this increasing growth, continues to progress, and as each day passes the project resembles more closely what it will look like once completed,” he added.

In July 2015, the top five routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport were London Heathrow, Bangkok, Doha, Manila, and Bombay, accounting for 16 per cent of all traffic. – TradeArabia News Service