Passenger numbers for July at Abu Dhabi International Airport increased 10.3 per cent as compared to the same month in 2008, according to figures released by Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac).

A total of 923,124 people travelled through the airport during July, as against 837,129 in July 2008.

London emerged as the busiest destination in July with 50,900 passengers, followed by Bangkok with 40,465 passengers.

Doha took third place with 37,361. In fourth and fifth place came Cairo and Bahrain with 36,108 and 35,773 passengers respectively. These top five destinations together accounted for 21.7 per cent of all traffic through the airport.

The substantial increase in traffic can be attributed to the start of school holidays alongside the growing range of choice available to passengers at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

New routes launched by Etihad, the national carrier of UAE, has also contributed to the increase in traffic. While Etihad added to destinations including Athens, Larnaca and Istanbul, and increased frequencies, new airlines such as Bahrain Air, Sun Air, Jat Airways, Safi Airways and Elite Aviation/Blue Wings also established routes from the airport.

India remained the largest market and the primary driver of traffic growth with 18.9 per cent increase in passengers, whilst Pakistan retained its second place. The UK was the airport’s third largest market.

Australia continued its rapid passenger growth with an increase of 133.7 per cent as a result of increased frequencies and the new Athens – Melbourne connectivity.

Traffic peaked on 30 July with 32,895 passengers arriving, departing and transferring through the airport, whilst the daily average was 29,779.

“While the outlook for our industry remains subdued, Abu Dhabi International Airport continues to achieve impressive growth,” said Mohammed Al Bulooki, vice president of airline marketing and aeronautical revenue.

“We are benefiting from  strong market fundamentals in Abu Dhabi and the stable economy. July was a fantastic record breaking month for the airport and we look forward to continued progress towards our goal of becoming a global destination for commerce and tourism.”

There was also good news for cargo movement which grew by 2.5 per cent compared to the same time last year, and for cargo flight loads which recorded a 6.1 per cent growth as a result of the significant increase of Expert Commercial Agencies and China Airlines. – TradeArabia News Service