Abu Dhabi airport is expected to welcome over 22 million travellers by the end of 2023, according to Elena Sorlini, Managing Director and Interim CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports.
Sorlini based her end-of-year traveller projections on the solid performance indicators achieved by the airport in recent months. She said that winter is forecasted to see significant demand from travellers, coinciding with major events hosted by the country, such as the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and COP28. Around 2.29 million travellers are expected to be received in December alone.
The passenger numbers have witnessed a 49% growth since the beginning of October compared to the same period in 2022.
Abu Dhabi Airport chief highlighted that the current and upcoming winter seasons are expected to witness approximately 410 daily flights, compared to around 340 daily flights during last summer, representing an increase of over 20% between the two seasons.
“With the opening of the new terminal, we are experiencing rapid growth and are working to achieve our target as soon as possible, especially with Etihad Airways’ plan to triple the number of passengers by 2030,” Sorlini said.
She pointed out that the top five destinations for Abu Dhabi International Airport in terms of passenger numbers are Mumbai, London, Kochi, Delhi, and Doha. Meanwhile, the leading destinations in terms of ticket sales are Mumbai, London, Doha, Delhi, and Kochi.
Terminal A
Abu Dhabi Airport’s Terminal A can handle 79 planes simultaneously and 11,000 passengers per hour. The capacity increase allows airlines to boost their presence in Abu Dhabi in response to growing demand.
It has leading facilities, including biometric technology to streamline the screening and boarding process, 35,000 square metres of retail and F&B space, and 163 outlets for passengers to shop and dine.
