Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) said the passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi airport increased 10.1 per cent to 866,475 in April despite cancellations of flights to and from Europe due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland.

Releasing its monthly traffic report on Sunday, ADAC said the UAE capital had experienced a double-digit growth since the start of 2010 and was still holding strong.

The month of April 2010 saw aircraft movement increase by 11.1 per cent compared to the same month in 2009. The cargo movement through the airport also increased substantially in April, with tonnage handled up by 21.3 per cent over the same month in 2009.

ADAC ranked London, Doha, Bangkok, Manila and Jeddah as the top five city destinations; while the US was the fastest growing country destination for the month, with a 160 per cent increase in passenger traffic over the same period in 2009.

This growth can largely be attributed to the launch of Etihad’s Chicago route and its growing connectivity to the American market through its code share agreement with American Airlines, said Ahmed Al Haddabi, senior vice president of Airport Operations, Adac.

“In spite of the extraordinary circumstances caused by the volcanic ash cloud that spread from Iceland across Europe during several days in April and thereby grounding numerous flights to and from the continent, Abu Dhabi International Airport continued to record double-digit growth, which is a great result.

'The increases illustrate the strong fundamentals of our economy and the strength of our tourism offering in Abu Dhabi. ADAC will remain focused on enhancing the facilities and services we offer to our passengers, and to attracting new airlines to our airport hub,' Al Haddabi added.-TradeArabia News Service