• Work to upgrade facilities at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi is complete. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
    Work to upgrade facilities at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi is complete. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
  • The airport is scheduled to reopen on Saturday. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
    The airport is scheduled to reopen on Saturday. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
  • The airport in the 1970s. Photo: Ron McCulloch
    The airport in the 1970s. Photo: Ron McCulloch
  • Concorde at Al Bateen Airport in July 1974. Photo: Peter Alvis
    Concorde at Al Bateen Airport in July 1974. Photo: Peter Alvis
  • Al Bateen Executive Airport has ambitious plans for the future. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
    Al Bateen Executive Airport has ambitious plans for the future. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
  • The runway during upgrade works. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
    The runway during upgrade works. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
  • The refurbishments mean the airport will be able to accommodate larger aircraft. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
    The refurbishments mean the airport will be able to accommodate larger aircraft. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
  • Key upgrades were made while the airport was closed. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
    Key upgrades were made while the airport was closed. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
  • Al Bateen Executive Airport. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
    Al Bateen Executive Airport. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
  • The revamp included the building of a substantial new boundary wall, runway resurfacing, improved ground lighting and landscaping. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
    The revamp included the building of a substantial new boundary wall, runway resurfacing, improved ground lighting and landscaping. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports

Abu Dhabi's Al Bateen airport to welcome wide-body aircraft as it looks to new era


John Dennehy
  • English
  • Arabic

Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi will reopen on Saturday following the completion of a major upgrade project.

A senior official at Abu Dhabi Airports on Wednesday told The National that the expansion ― particularly widening the runway ― will allow the airport to formally handle larger aircraft.

Other works undertaken since the private jet facility closed for all but helicopters on May 11 include a substantial new boundary wall, runway resurfacing, upgraded ground lighting, enhanced signage and landscaping.

“It has been a major project involving different elements of the airport,” said Matar Al Suwaidi, senior vice president of terminal operations at Abu Dhabi Airports.

“Everything you can see and touch is being enhanced.”

Airport ushers in new era

The refurbishments mark a new era for an airport that was the first modern international facility in Abu Dhabi.

Al Bateen opened in the late 1960s to cater for a surge in people arriving into Abu Dhabi after oil was found. It replaced the sand airstrip, had a distinctive concrete-roofed terminal and even gave its name to “Airport Road”, which has since been renamed Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Street.

But it was clear even by the 1970s that demand in Abu Dhabi was likely to necessitate a much larger facility. “Al Bateen is at the heart of Abu Dhabi and on the island, so expansion would be limited. The leadership foresaw the airport [needed] to be moved away from[the] island,” Mr Al Suwaidi said.

The current main airport opened in 1982 to cater for increased demand, and, in the years since, Al Bateen functioned as a military base before becoming a dedicated airport for private jets.

Works at Al Bateen Executive Airport include runway resurfacing. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
Works at Al Bateen Executive Airport include runway resurfacing. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports

It is also getting ready to host Abu Dhabi Air Expo from November 1 to 3. The event is expected to attract more than 18,000 visitors and host more than 300 manufacturers and suppliers.

The project has been timely in this regard because the runway will change from a 4C to a 4D ― in airport terminology ― which means it can handle twin aisle jets, such as Boeing 767s, whereas before it could only accommodate single aisle planes such as Boeing 737s or Airbus A320s.

Twin aisle jets would have landed at Bateen before but this required permission from the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority. Certifying the airport as a 4D means certain types of twin-aisles can land without needing this permission.

But the works alone do not award the certification and the authority will give its final approval.

“It is not a switch-on and switch-off decision,” Mr Al Suwaidi said. “There is documentation to provide and testing to conclude. It will take some time.”

It is also planned to rename the three existing terminals before the end of the year as part of a branding initiative to further boost the airport.

“There is a very high demand for a [private jet] facility,” Mr Al Suwaidi said.

Al Bateen can accommodate 50 parked jets and the people who use the facility include government delegations, business people and high-net-worth individuals from across the world who prize discretion and do want the hassle of flying through a main airport.

"The business model is you have more privacy and the moment you get off the plane [at Bateen] and into the car is 100 metres,” Mr Al Suwaidi said.

“[Some people] are not interested in going to the duty free and from one terminal to another. Here everything is done in one place. A one-stop shop.”

The airport can also accommodate helicopters, with Abu Dhabi Police, a search-and-rescue service and private operator among those based there.

A cost for the works was not disclosed, while final tests are now being carried out before Saturday’s opening.

Abu Dhabi's rich aviation history - in pictures

  • An aerial shot of a plane over Abu Dhabi in the early 1960s after taking off from a sand runway close to Sultan bin Zayed the First (Muroor Road) and 17th Street. Photo: David Riley
    An aerial shot of a plane over Abu Dhabi in the early 1960s after taking off from a sand runway close to Sultan bin Zayed the First (Muroor Road) and 17th Street. Photo: David Riley
  • Passengers wait with their suitcases for a flight at Abu Dhabi's sand airstrip. Photo: BP Archive
    Passengers wait with their suitcases for a flight at Abu Dhabi's sand airstrip. Photo: BP Archive
  • On approach to Abu Dhabi's first airfield. The photograph was taken in the mid-1960s. Photo: Michael Stokes
    On approach to Abu Dhabi's first airfield. The photograph was taken in the mid-1960s. Photo: Michael Stokes
  • Al Bateen Airport, pictured in the 1970s, replaced the sand strip. Photo: Al Ittihad
    Al Bateen Airport, pictured in the 1970s, replaced the sand strip. Photo: Al Ittihad
  • Concorde makes an appearance at Al Bateen Airport in August, 1974. The visit was part of a demonstration tour to drum up new customers but also to prove the jet’s capability in hot weather. Photo: Peter Alvis
    Concorde makes an appearance at Al Bateen Airport in August, 1974. The visit was part of a demonstration tour to drum up new customers but also to prove the jet’s capability in hot weather. Photo: Peter Alvis
  • Abu Dhabi International Airport opened in 1982. It was designed by French architect Paul Andreu with the idea that planes would surround a satellite, so they could arrive and depart quickly. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
    Abu Dhabi International Airport opened in 1982. It was designed by French architect Paul Andreu with the idea that planes would surround a satellite, so they could arrive and depart quickly. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
  • The ceiling of Abu Dhabi airport, said to be designed like a palm tree against the sky. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
    The ceiling of Abu Dhabi airport, said to be designed like a palm tree against the sky. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airports
  • The circular design of Abu Dhabi airport's terminal placed the gates close to each other so people could access planes quickly. Delores Johnson / The National
    The circular design of Abu Dhabi airport's terminal placed the gates close to each other so people could access planes quickly. Delores Johnson / The National
Notable Yas events in 2017/18

October 13-14 KartZone (complimentary trials)

December 14-16 The Gulf 12 Hours Endurance race

March 5 Yas Marina Circuit Karting Enduro event

March 8-9 UAE Rotax Max Challenge

57%20Seconds
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rusty%20Cundieff%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJosh%20Hutcherson%2C%20Morgan%20Freeman%2C%20Greg%20Germann%2C%20Lovie%20Simone%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier

Results

UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs

Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets

Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets

Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets

Semi-finals

UAE v Qatar

Bahrain v Kuwait

 

Switching%20sides
%3Cp%3EMahika%20Gaur%20is%20the%20latest%20Dubai-raised%20athlete%20to%20attain%20top%20honours%20with%20another%20country.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVelimir%20Stjepanovic%20(Serbia%2C%20swimming)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBorn%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20raised%20in%20Dubai%2C%20he%20finished%20sixth%20in%20the%20final%20of%20the%202012%20Olympic%20Games%20in%20London%20in%20the%20200m%20butterfly%20final.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EJonny%20Macdonald%20(Scotland%2C%20rugby%20union)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBrought%20up%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20represented%20the%20region%20in%20international%20rugby.%20When%20the%20Arabian%20Gulf%20team%20was%20broken%20up%20into%20its%20constituent%20nations%2C%20he%20opted%20to%20play%20for%20Scotland%20instead%2C%20and%20went%20to%20the%20Hong%20Kong%20Sevens.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESophie%20Shams%20(England%2C%20rugby%20union)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20daughter%20of%20an%20English%20mother%20and%20Emirati%20father%2C%20Shams%20excelled%20at%20rugby%20in%20Dubai%2C%20then%20after%20attending%20university%20in%20the%20UK%20played%20for%20England%20at%20sevens.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash

Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.

Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.

Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.

Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.

Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.

How to donate

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Updated: August 19, 2022, 10:33 AM