Passenger count to rise at Abu Dhabi International Airport over the summer

Abu Dhabi International Airport expects to see a rise in the number of passengers passing through its airport this summer as the peak season starts Tuesday. Courtesy Abu Dhabi Airports

Abu Dhabi International Airport expects to see a rise in the number of passengers passing through its airport this summer as the peak season starts Tuesday.

The passenger numbers are anticipated to grow anywhere between 5 per cent and 8 per cent during the summer months June to September compared to the same period last year. Around 7 million passengers are expected to pass through the terminals during that time.

The first peak period coincides with the start of the school holidays in the UAE and Eid holidays and runs from Tuesday [today] until July 15 for departing traffic. For arriving traffic, the peak period is anticipated to be from August 15 until September 10.

"By monitoring expected passenger and aircraft traffic for the coming period, we have been able to prepare, in cooperation with Etihad Airways, by increasing the number of customer service and ground staff," Ahmed Al Shamsi, the acting chief operations officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, told The National. "We are coordinating with the police, immigration and customs [officials] to ensure the airport has sufficient number of employees to cater for the needs of the passenger numbers that have been forecast."

In anticipation with the expected rush, Abu Dhabi Duty Free has been stocking up its online store, addf.ae. During Ramadan, the online shoppers will get 10 per cent discount on all items.

Passengers can place online orders between two weeks and up to two hours before their flight.

According to the latest data available, the Abu Dhabi International Airport handled 2.07 million passengers in April, a 5.6 per cent increase from April last year when the number touched 1.9 million.

The popular sectors from the airport based on the number of passengers were India, Saudi Arabia and the UK. The top five destinations were London, Bangkok, Doha, Jeddah and Mumbai in April.

From June 6, the Abu Dhabi Airports suspended the 10 daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Doha until further notice.

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