Commercial sales at Abu Dhabi Airports rose 10.9 per cent in the first half, led by duty-free items and food and beverages.
Revenue increased year on year to Dh707.6 million, the company said yesterday.
The airports operator said there was growth across all of its commercial activities, including speciality retail, hospitality, banking and currency exchange, car parking, advertising and the Skypark Plaza operations. "The performance is all the more noteworthy given the reduction in Chinese spending, the changing dynamics of the Asian economies, and the currency variations that impact the value for money offered," said Dan Cappell, Abu Dhabi Airports' acting chief commercial officer.
Last month, the company said that it handled 11.1 million passengers at Abu Dhabi International between January and June, up 17.2 per cent from the same period last year.
Its addition of new destinations such as Madrid, Pune, and Edinburgh bolstered the growth in passenger numbers.
Ali Majed Al Mansoori, the chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports, said in March that the company was expected to handle between 23 million and 24 million passengers this year at its three terminals, up from 20 million passengers last year.
Annual passenger numbers at the emirate’s international airport are expected to reach 27 million next year. That is when demand on its infrastructure will be at a critical level, according to Mr Al Mansoori.
To accommodate the increase in passenger traffic, the airport has been undergoing a Dh1.5 billion expansion of its existing terminals.
That is expected to handle the increase in passenger numbers before the Midfield Terminal opens in 2017.
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
