Dubai: More than 1.7 million passengers travelled through Abu Dhabi International Airport in July, a 21.7 per cent increase compared to the same month a year earlier.
Nearly 1.4 million used the airport in July 2013, according to data from Abu Dhabi Airports.
The top five destinations from the airport were London Heathrow, Doha, Manila, Bangkok and Jeddah, accounting for 15 per cent of all traffic.
Ahmad Al Haddabi, chief operations officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said in a statement on Tuesday that July figures were part of a continuing trend of increasing passenger numbers.
“Looking at July more specifically, the figures were boosted by the Eid Al Fitr holiday as well as summer holiday season,” he stated.
The number of aircraft landing and taking off at the airport rose 16.1 per cent to 13,188. There were 11,355 landings and takeoffs, also known as aircraft movements, at the airport in July 2013.
Cargo volumes, meanwhile, also grew in July with 67,456 tonnes handled, an increase of 5.7 per cent compared to the 63,794 tonnes handled a year earlier, according to Abu Dhabi Airports.
The number of passengers using the airport over the January 1 to July 31 period has increased by 19.7 per cent to 11.1 million. Aircraft movements for the first seven months of the year are up 13.9 per cent to 87,050 and cargo volumes handled at the airport have risen 14.3 per cent to 445,341 tonnes.
Al Haddabi also said in Tuesday’s statement that the Midfield Terminal Complex, a new terminal that is currently under construction, “continues to progress on schedule.” The terminal is set to open on July 17, 2017.
