Abu Dhabi's turn to post record airport numbers



A record number of more than 12 million passengers passed through Abu Dhabi's international airport last year.

More airlines and routes helped passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International to grow 13.9 per cent on 2010 to 12.4 million last year, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) reported.

"Abu Dhabi is bringing on additional tourism attractions and facilities, which helps drive traffic," said James E. Bennett, the chief executive of ADAC.

"Then of course our partner Etihad [Airways] continues to take delivery of new aircraft and expand its route network and form partnerships with other airlines."

Airline companies that started flying to and from Abu Dhabi last year included Cathay Pacific, Virgin Australia, and Czech Airlines.

Eight new destinations were added, including the Seychelles, Prague, Bangalore, and Chengdu.

Cargo traffic increased 10 per cent last year compared to 2010, reaching 481,500 tonnes.

rbundhun@thenational.ae

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The 15 players selected

Muzzamil Afridi, Rahman Gul, Rizwan Haider (Dezo Devils); Shahbaz Ahmed, Suneth Sampath (Glory Gladiators); Waqas Gohar, Jamshaid Butt, Shadab Ahamed (Ganga Fighters); Ali Abid, Ayaz Butt, Ghulam Farid, JD Mahesh Kumara (Hiranni Heros); Inam Faried, Mausif Khan, Ashok Kumar (Texas Titans

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Your rights as an employee

The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.

The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.

If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.

Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.

The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.