Annual passenger numbers at Abu Dhabi's international airport are expected to reach 27 million next year. Jaime Puebla / The National
Annual passenger numbers at Abu Dhabi's international airport are expected to reach 27 million next year. Jaime Puebla / The National

Duty-free and F&B items lead Abu Dhabi Airports sales in the first half



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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