Passengers through Abu Dhabi International Airport have given their unequivocal support to the free Wi-Fi services now available at the airport as the number of online visits surging from a previous 50 visits per month to over 4,726 visits in just the first three weeks of the service.

“We were aware of the demand for a free Wi-Fi service as we sought to introduce it, but it has been especially pleasing to note the immediate uptake of the service and we expect the usage to increase exponentially as the service becomes even better known to passengers at the airport,” said vice-president of information and communication systems, Abu Dhabi Airports Company, Michael Ibbitson.

“Interestingly, we also noted a high level of tech-savvy customers using the service with a variety of portable devises including mobiles, iphones, iPods and even Playstation Portables,” added Ibbitson.

Introduced at the beginning of June, the jump from an average of 1.67 to 205.48 visitors per day clearly displays a phenomenal thirst for the service, and shows that Abu Dhabi Airport is ahead of the curve in responding to a clear demand for a free service that even many airports - worldwide - are yet to introduce.

“I’ve been travelling across Asia and wherever I was I would look for hotspots to keep in touch with friends and family back home. I’ve not come across many airports with free Wi-Fi so it’s great to be able to get online here in Abu Dhabi,” said Justin Harper, a student returning to the UK from Bangkok through Abu Dhabi.

As expected, usage of the service has been concentrated around the peak travel period which in Abu Dhabi Airport’s case is 12am (midnight); other peak usage times are around 8am, 12pm (midday), and 9pm.

Abu Dhabi International Airport introduced its free Wi-Fi service on June 1, 2008, in what is currently the airport’s busiest Terminal (1). The service in Terminal 1A and Terminal 2, according to ADAC, is set to be rolled out soon.

Free Wi-Fi access will also be available in the five million passenger capacity Terminal 3, when it goes fully operational later this year. – TradeArabia News Service