Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Q2 passenger numbers quadruple as tourism recovers

Passenger traffic Abu Dhabi International Airport It almost quadrupled in the second quarter of 2022 due to a recovery in demand and easing of travel restrictions in key markets around the world.

Abu Dhabi Airports handled 3.6 million passengers in the three months to the end of June, up nearly five years from the same period last year, Francois Bourienne, chief commercial officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said in an interview. times. National.

That’s 68% of pre-coronavirus passenger traffic.

In the first six months of 2022, passenger traffic at five UAE airports increased fivefold to 6.3 million, including 6.2 million at Abu Dhabi International Airport alone.

Abu Dhabi Airports owns and operates Abu Dhabi International Airport, Al Ain International Airport, Al Bateen Executive Airport, Del Mar Island Airport and Sir Baniyas Island Airport.

Mr Bourienne said the increase was largely due to a reduction in Covid-19 testing requirements, the reopening of key markets such as the UK, Saudi Arabia and India and a faster-than-expected recovery in business travel.

In a joint interview, Chief Operating Officer Frank McCrorie said a wider choice of travel destinations and travelers who feel safe again when boarding and have more disposable income to spend on travel , contributed to the growth.

Airport operators now expect the Gulf hub to handle at least 13 million passengers in 2022, higher than earlier projection Mr Bourienne said there were 10.7 million in February.

“us [expect] A return to pre-pandemic levels no later than 2024, but possibly sooner if the current pace of recovery holds,” he said.

Mr Bourienne attributed the higher annual forecast to “very strong” forward bookings by airlines, as well as the expansion of homegrown carriers Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi.

Foreign airlines are also either resuming services to Abu Dhabi post-pandemic or starting new flights to the UAE capital, while Etihad Airways is adding capacity on some routes to meet higher demand.

“July and August are always a peak, but the momentum will continue into the end of the year and into 2023,” Mr Burienne said.

Abu Dhabi Airports is in talks with three or four airlines based in the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Indian subcontinent to start operations in the emirate, with the goal of adding these new customers this year or early 2023, he said.

Abu Dhabi International Airport at the end of the second quarter Etihad Airways home baseConnected to 104 scheduled passenger destinations served by 22 airlines, up from 74 destinations operated by 19 airlines in the same period last year.

recruitment plan

Mr McCrory said the airport had hired 600 people so far this year – including check-in, boarding and baggage handling – to deal with the surge in passenger numbers.

He said another 300 workers were currently being recruited and they would join “as soon as possible”.

“The immediate need for us is the winter schedule, which will start at the end of October,” Mr McCrory said.

“So at the moment we are reviewing slot requests and approving what we are confident we can approve based on physical and manpower constraints.

“[When] Everyone has the right team and has the right training so we can feel more confident. “

The hub will not compromise on capacity and sacrifice customer service, he said.

“We’re trying to strike a balance: don’t get too greedy with traffic and passenger numbers,” Mr McCrory said.

“We make sure passenger service is key to everything we do. It has to be right.”

The preparations come amid flight cancellations or delays and long queues at major European airports, which are grappling with staffing shortages and a faster-than-expected rebound in travel after the pandemic.

Abu Dhabi International Airport is expected to be in FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar Mr McCrorie said in November, although the exact figures would become clearer when the flight schedules were finalised.

The football tournament will attract millions of fans, with some spectators staying in the UAE and heading to Qatar to watch the match due to limited hotel supplies in Qatar, with shuttle flights between Doha and Abu Dhabi planned.

The midfield terminal of the “final stage”

Meanwhile, a new AED10.8 billion ($2.94 billion) Midfield Terminal Abu Dhabi International Airport (MTB) is taking shape.

“This project is what we want. It’s on the show. There’s a ton of activity going on, so it’s really in the final stages. We’re finishing a trial of it and staff have to get acquainted with it,” Mr McCrory said.

According to Mr McCrory, the terminal will not open this year.

“We’ll open it when we see fit, and I must stress — it’s not necessarily about when it’s ready to open,” he said, declining to provide a date.

“The biggest factor for us is reputation. Everyone is waiting for this facility to open, so we want to make sure we do it the right way in a timely manner.”

The right timing will depend on travel needs, measures to invest in the latest technology, planned additions to new services, construction progress, operational readiness, staff familiarity, training, trials, and planning systems to ensure the success of each transition and integration, he said .

“It has to be a great facility,” Mr McCrory said. “If you use biometrics seamlessly, they don’t exist when you design buildings, so what’s the right thing to do? Just ignore the opportunity, or say, ‘We want to invest further’.”

“Abu Dhabi demands very high standards, and rightly so,” he said.

When asked about the completion rate of the project, Mr McCrory said there were several projects at various stages and landside works such as the road network were 97 per cent complete.

“The golden rule for airport openings is that you never commit to a date until you’re sure you’ll hit that date,” Mr McCrory said.

“I don’t recommend that we make a commitment until we’re 100% sure we’re setting ourselves up for success.”

The operator will publicly announce the opening date once the building is ready and the conditions are right, he said.

“I’m 100 per cent assured that the elements of the construction plan and operational readiness are where they should be and where we expect to be at this stage,” Mr McCrory said.

“If this level of comfort is further improved, then we’ll be able to be more comfortable with success and we’ll be able to be more transparent about specific timelines and dates.”

Updated: August 24, 2022 9:23 am